Clover Tales
by TheDarkKunoichi
Summary: Like every normal sister, I love my older brother very much. Even though he is extremely annoying and overprotective and his pranks sometimes goes too far. Not to mention the fact that he has this 'secret-identity' thing going on... I don't mind at all. Except I'm not sure if he will feel the same once he finds out 'Kuroba Kagami' isn't supposed to exist in the first place... SI-OC
1. Prologue

**Clover Tales** — **Kuroba Tales**

 **...**

 _"Did you ever begin to consider what would happen if everyone on Earth believed in reincarnation? If they believed that all that could happen to them in death would be rebirth in another being, we would have mass suicide every time something went wrong in their lives, along with total disregard for individual actions and of course, chaos." -_

 _\- Jon Callaghan, Again and Forever_

 **...**

 **Prologue**

 **...**

She never thought much about that quote until it hit her right in the face. Literally. She knew it's wrong, but she can't help but think that if she had only known things would turn out much better in the afterlife, she would have let herself be killed off sooner.

It doesn't really matter what she thought at this point, especially when she's already falling down a sixty foot cliff after getting hit by a rampaging fourteen wheeler. Guess the saying is true, you should be careful what you wish for.

Though while a lot of people would most likely scream in terror as they fell to their deaths, Ivy just felt oddly at peace. It's as if her subconscious knew that nothing bad is going to happen; that everything's going to be alright and that she shouldn't struggle as she fell. As weird as that sounds, she ended up following her gut instinct and just stared and waited for the ground to meet her descent. Time seemed to slow at that moment, and she vaguely heard a couple of screams from the few horrified people that saw her fall. But there was not enough time to ponder this as she saw the ground getting nearer and nearer, her dreadful life flashing before her eyes.

While doing so, she absently wondered if things would have turned out differently if she did not attempt to run away...

 **...**

 _Earlier that day..._

Staring one last time at the looming structure in front of her, she hurriedly wiped her tears harshly in her sleeve before taking several steps away from the gates, ultimately sealing her fate as a runaway.

Nobody seems to have woken up, which Ivy is grateful for. She hurriedly flipped her hood up to cover her face and started walking into the night, a backpack full of her personal belongings slung over her shoulders. She had been planning this escape for _years_ , packing ahead of time so she can leave immediately if needed, working in part-time jobs and saving money to buy her own apartment until the right time, and just basically trying to be free from her useless scumbag of a father. And she's not saying that lightly, he really _is_ the Father of all Scumbags. He takes great pleasure in beating her up and just acting like the bane of her existence. Most days, it's mild like insults and the occasional shoving. But when he gets a hold of beer, _that's_ the time she should probably hide. It happens so regularly it's almost become like a routine, but when her father started treating her more badly than usual today, resulting in almost bashing her head in with a beer bottle, she knew that it was finally time for her to leave.

Sneaking out is not a problem at all, as she already did it numerous times before. All she had to do is to wait for her father to fall asleep. Which was easy; he's so drunk he can barely stand. When he finally started snoring, that was the time Ivy can quietly sneak out of her room. However, on the way out, she was ashamed to say that she hesitated.

She wants to say that she has fully made up her mind about running away, but that would be a lie. There is still one thing that's preventing her from doing so: her promise to her dying mother.

Maybe promising that 'she won't ever leave her father's side no matter what' was a mistake, but at that moment, she was too grief-stricken to care. That was where everything started to take a turn for the worse. She never really realized how much her mother was protecting her until she was gone. As it is, she fully experienced it the first few years after her mother's death.

Ivy's eyes instinctively flickered to the marks and bruises on her hands before clenching her fists, refusing to see more. Her father's beatings are always harsh, so much so that she has learned to become apathetic and impassive in order to avoid thinking and showing the pain. In doing so, she was unconsciously acting like the perfect victim. However, just because she acts impassive about it doesn't mean that she likes being beat up. Running away has always been at the forefront of her mind. That is why the moment she was old enough, she began working in various part-time jobs for their expenses and her schooling. Add to that, she also began planning. She knew the day would come when her father will go too far, so it's best to prepare for it. She began listing places to go to if she ever runs away, she began saving money to buy a new apartment, she began packing things in a spare backpack for her to take away quickly if the situation calls for it, and finally, she started packing her most prized possessions: her Detective Conan CDs. With how her life was going so far, watching Detective Conan has really become her only escape from reality, something she didn't even realize that she needed.

Staring back at the gates of her former house, she just wonders what her mother would say to her now if she saw her doing this. Would she be mad? Would she be glad she's finally getting away from the scumbag? Would she even forgive her for breaking her promise?

She hopes so. Surely her mother wouldn't want her to stay with her father forever right? Besides, she's been planning this for _years_. She finally got the opportunity to escape today, so this is _not_ the time for second thoughts.

Steeling herself, Ivy quickly ran down the road, determined to increase the distance between her and that horrible house. She was determined to leave that life behind by all means necessary. In fact, she was just about to have an appointment with the landlord of the new apartment she saved up for when that damn truck suddenly came hurtling down the road and rammed her head-on, causing her to fall over the deadly cliff they have in their town like a limp doll.

With how horrible her life has been, is it that weird to say that she's almost glad she's about to die?

A last glance at the terribly nearing ground had Ivy shutting her eyes tight in anticipation, adrenaline replacing any fear she has left...

 _"I'm sorry mom… looks like I'll be joining you soon."_

...

She didn't feel the moment her head broke and cracked open like a nut upon connecting to the hard, rocky ground; nor did she hear the horrified screams from the witnesses as they watched her fall several feet to her death. She didn't see her mangled body collapse spread-eagled on the ground with blood pooling all around her; neither did she notice her prized Detective Conan CDs spilling out into the road from her bag that was ripped open from the jagged rocks, each surrounding her like a crude bed. And lastly, she never noticed the moment it produced a faint glow before vanishing completely, taking with it the light in her eyes. She didn't feel any pain at all.

For the first time in her life, Ivy finally felt at peace.

That is, until she heard the tell-tale cries and screams of a baby being born, and of two pairs of bright indigo and cerulean eyes turning to stare at her with tired but joyful smiles.

 **...**


	2. Chapter One

**...**

 **Chapter One**

 **...**

They say when you die you see a light at the end of the tunnel. Well, in this case... it's partially true.

Ivy woke up only to immediately gasp for air, feeling her lungs constrict as the lack of oxygen around made itself known. She immediately panicked and flailed around desperately in the dark, knowing that her face is slowly turning blue and that she needed to get out of here, _wherever_ is here, NOW.

She felt her arms move sluggishly as she tried to get a grip on something to propel herself up, but everything feels so sticky and weird and so incredibly tight. And the walls are _rippling_. _Why_ are the walls rippling?

And she is still suffocating. Her eyes desperately looked around for a way out, her head feeling too heavy for her to move. But it was no use, her chest burned and her mind started to blank, the lack of air painfully taking its toll on her body. Her arms slowly stopped moving as it started to lose strength, her eyelids beginning to droop in exhaustion...

 _Is this how she was going to die?_

At the thought of death, her mother's kind face immediately flashed across her tired mind, making her smile. Dying, while incredibly painful, will be worth it if she could see and hug her mother again.

Satisfied, her eyelids slid closed.

 _Let them take her._

Light suddenly flashed behind her eyelids, causing her to crack them open again a slit in surprise. She blankly stared as a sort of crudely shaped hole suddenly appeared on the rippling walls in front of her, feeling terribly confused.

 _What was that?_

Immediately after the hole appeared did her nostrils suddenly flare, the burning in her chest slowly decreasing. Her mind vaguely registered the fact that she was actually _breathing_ before her mouth opened too, resulting in her gasping and gaping like a fish for air to enter her lungs. But she barely managed to get a few breaths in before the hole suddenly closed, leaving her to suffocate yet again.

 _Where did it go?!_

Panicking, she began crawling and wiggling through the tight space towards the place where the hole previously resided, her lungs burning all the while. Why did it suddenly appear? Where was the air coming from? And why was she trying desperately to get there?

 _Did she not want to die after all?_

To her relief, the walls around her suddenly rippled violently as the hole opened yet again, bringing with it a rush of air. She inhaled a huge mouthful of it before tensing, her eyes staring straight past the hole where light shone harshly. That's when she realized that _she doesn't want to die!_

Gathering her remaining strength, she launched herself head-first towards the hole, succeeding in getting only her head through until the hole closed again. But she didn't care as long as she can finally _breath_...

"You're doing great! Just a bit more!"

 _...What?_

"Come on... I know it's hard. I'm so proud of you..."

At those words, she felt her body being pushed out, startling her badly. Hands grabbed her body and, combined with the force pushing her out, she was successfully released.

"You did it... you did it!"

Cries and yells of relief and joy resounded around the room, making Ivy winced as the sounds hurt her suddenly sensitive ears.

 _What's going on?_

Feeling genuinely lost, she began trying to look around for some clue, but found that she _can't_ move her heavy head. Further inspection revealed that her entire body is heavy and numb and that she _can't move a limb._

However, oddly enough, she didn't feel alarmed. Maybe if she was thinking clearly then she'll be panicking like crazy. But right now, all she could think about is how relaxing it will be to just fall asleep again and maybe wake up after a few decades...

Hands suddenly began touching her again, startling her slightly awake, and then she was airborne.

Light shone at her face somewhere up there, making her squint angrily. Why won't they let her sleep in peace?! Distantly, she can also hear someone crying hard in the background, further adding to the chaos.

 _"I… I'm... g-glad…"_ A woman's tired voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, but oddly enough, the sound was very muffled; like she was hearing it through cotton someone stuck in her ears. And no matter how hard she tried, she can't focus on anything.

 _"It's... baby girl... 'am."_ Someone informed them, but the sound is still horribly distorted. The only things she managed to hear clearly was 'baby girl'.

Wait.

Her previously droopy eyes suddenly snapped wide open, causing the crying sound to become even louder. Too late, she realized people are talking, and she struggled to hear them despite her condition...

…

"Our... irl, Toichi! Our... aby girl…"

"...did well Chikage. Like our... oy, I... she'll be... stined for... thing great."

"As do I. And... lieve… my turn to name… _you_ named our b-boy…"

A light laugh, and then, "... worry Chikage. It's your turn."

A relieved but playful sigh sounded, then suddenly, she felt she was being shifted, until she is suddenly face-to-face with a pair of blurry indigo eyes. The sight of it made her breath catch at the unusually brilliant color, no matter how blurred she was seeing it in her vision. The crying in the background suddenly ceased, and with a jolt, she realized that it had been _her_ crying the whole time…

"Nice to... eet you… Kagami-chan."


	3. Chapter Two

**...**

 **Chapter Two**

 **...**

That was a month ago.

Ivy woke up feeling like she just had the best nap of her life. That is, until she realized that she literally almost slept her whole life away.

To make up for that slight drawback, she began examining her situation with a sort of detached perspective.

For one thing, she currently has a toddler's body. Realizing it for the first time had made her freak out but now, she oddly felt okay with it. Probably because she isn't panicking anymore and is now looking at it with a rational mind but who knows? The one thing she _does_ hate though, is her complete lack of control over her body. It was hard to do anything and frankly, all her attempts at moving just made her look like a dying eel, so she stopped. Secondly, she has a new name: 'Kagami', which is obviously a Japanese name. It _is_ a bit odd that she was reborn as a Japanese since it has always been a dream of hers to be one ever since she discovered animes, but she wasn't about to complain. And lastly, she knows that Toichi and Chikage are the names of her 'new' parents, and it doesn't take a genius to realize that the only ones she knew that have those names are the Kuroba family from Detective Conan. It hardly seems a coincidence for those particular names to conveniently pop up together and so she has to assume that their surnames really _are_ 'Kuroba'. Which finally made her realize the most likely and obvious conclusion...

Detective Conan. _That's_ where she is right now.

Strangely, instead of feeling panicked, she felt oddly calm about it. After all, isn't this what she wanted? A whole new life far away from her abusive dad. And where better than in the world of Detective Conan?

Someone up there gave her a second chance. It's clear now and she realizes that. But why _her_ and why _here_ of all things...?

Is there something she is supposed to do?

She can't deny that the thought of living in this world, instead of feeling incredibly happy like what other people might think, she felt a bit scared. This is a world where everyone dies or gets hurt one way or another. People drop dead every day and there are serial killers and bad people everywhere, and only a handful of detectives and police who actually has the sense of justice to do the right thing.

There's also that issue with the Black Organization. If she ever stumbles on one of them accidentally, she knows she won't have the same luck as Conan. She'll be dead before she could say ' _shrink_ '.

Is it expected of her to help Conan achieve his goal? Maybe even the Kaitou KID? Or can she just live quietly in the sidelines, making the most out of her second life and hope she doesn't get entangled in those characters' complicated lives?

No, of course not, she realized. Her fate had been carved into stone the moment she was born as Toichi and Chikage's daughter. She'll be involved, whether she wants to or not. And even if she wasn't, she can't just ignore their predicament when she knew exactly what will happen-

A huge yawn suddenly cut off her thoughts, and her already blurry vision suddenly looked even more hazy, like she was in the middle of a dream. She wa just coherent enough to register that she easily gets more tired now that she's a baby before her eyelids shuts completely.

She just hopes she wouldn't sleep a month off of her life again, no matter how enjoyable it may sound right now...

 **...**


	4. Chapter Three

**...**

 **Chapter Three**

 **...**

It was midnight. The hospital was silent, with only a few nurses and personnel roaming the corridors. This made it easy for a certain man to sneak in to head for a certain room.

Kuroba Toichi strode purposefully past the corridors, his footsteps as silent as a mouse. He came across no one, but some _do_ get close enough, in which case he blends in to avoid being seen. After they pass through, he'll continue on as if nothing happened.

It was prohibited to visit the nursery at night, because there's the high risk of disturbing the babies. Besides, there has been too many cases of child kidnapping here for them to not enforce the rule.

But Toichi isn't here to kidnap babies. He's here to visit his own.

It was a simple matter to fool the security cameras. Even more simpler to avoid the few people and guards roaming the halls. This is nothing compared to some highly secure buildings he has visited many times before. ' _Visited_ ' being the key word.

He turned a corner and continued walking. He just came from a visit to his wife in the nearby room. She just rolled her eyes at his sudden appearance in the window in the middle of the night and just shooed him off to the nursery, telling him to kiss their baby for her and to _please_ start using doors like a normal person. But they both know he won't do that. He doesn't _do_ normal.

Another turn finally brought him near the nursery. He smiled and made quick work of unlocking the door before entering, the cameras detecting not a hint of his entrance. The babies are all fast asleep, but he's careful to be extra quiet when in their presence. He knows firsthand how sensitive babies are than normal adults _(courtesy of Kaito)._ They'll stir if he wasn't careful enough.

He walked through rows and rows of sleeping babies, trying to find the one that looked just like Chikage and remotely like him. Finally, he came across the crib near the window and stopped, his breath catching in his throat as he gazed down at the sight of his beautiful baby girl...

She was sleeping just like the other babies, thankfully not causing havoc like a certain brother of hers did when he was young. He can already tell that she's going to be the sensible one of the family.

He reached down and stroked her soft cheek, eyes softening when Kagami twitched a little bit. He watched as she yawned cutely before blinking her eyes open.

Blue eyes. Kagami stared up at him with the brightest blue eyes he's ever seen, though he knows it's too early to say that it will remain blue forever. It may darken to Chikage's indigo eye color after a few months, or it can remain like his own dark blue hue. Either way, his little girl looked perfect.

He observed as his daughter looked up at him with the most fascinated of expressions, which made him smile. While he loves Kaito very much, the little rascal that he is, his daughter completely got him wrapped around her little finger.

"Kagami."

It took a while for his daughter to look at him. Not unexpected since she doesn't yet know her name. He helped her by stroking her cheek gently until she looked.

Toichi smiled. "Kuroba Kagami. Your mother named you, you know. She hasn't quite trusted me yet after I named our eldest son 'Kaito' as a pun to the thief Kaitou KID," Here, he winked as if sharing some private joke in which, unknown to him, she caught perfectly. "Fortunately, she didn't name you after some variation of 'The Phantom Lady'. Now that would be interesting."

He could've sworn he saw a hint of a smile, but it was gone so quickly it must have been his imagination. She suddenly yawned, making Toichi chuckle silently. He smiled and gently covered her tired eyes, "Sleep well Kagami. I'll come back again in the morning."

She needed no more prompting.


	5. Chapter Four

**...**

 **Chapter Four**

 **...**

The car ride is as silent as a tomb. The driver makes no sound, and neither does the eight year old passenger. The boy kept fidgeting though, eyes darting towards his father who is driving, outside the window, and at the road again. He feels slightly uneasy at the atmosphere, especially when he noticed that his father never removed that weird grin on his face the entire time. Kaito knows it's just his poker face, but he's clueless as to why his father decided to project a smile of all things. Should he even ask?

A sudden turn almost made Kaito release a yelp, before stopping himself. He's not ready to make a noise yet. Not when his father is currently speeding through the tight traffic in almost impossible precision while still managing to stay within the speed limit. Again, another thing to ask the moment his father slows down. Maybe he can even teach him that someday?

As if reading his thoughts, Toichi turned half of his attention to him, the other half still on the road, which is an amazing feat by itself. "What is it, Kaito?"

 _Here goes nothing..._ "Umm... what's going on? Where are we going? Why're you driving a lot like Aoko's father whenever he's chasing after the Kaitou KID?" He should know, since Aoko's father let him and Aoko ride the police car on the day of the Kid's heist. Long story short: He's still feeling nauseous at the memory of the whole car chase.

Another thing is that Kaito deserves to know the reason why he's hauled out of bed so early this morning, on a Saturday of all days, having to watch as his father rushed around and do his speed-dressing-thing plus the puffs of pink smoke _(he really loves to show off, though Kaito can hardly talk. He does it all the time too)_ to get himself and Kaito clothed, a weird grin on his moustached face the whole time. He had been wondering ever since then just what exactly is going on. His father doesn't get easily excited over nothing.

As if on cue, his father hit the brakes, skidding to a stop right on top of a parking space behind a huge hospital. The sudden halt, as well as the accuracy of the parking left Kaito gaping at the amazing man beside him. He's _so_ gonna bug his father until he gives in and teaches him that trick.

 _But wait,_ why _are they in a hospital anyway?_ "Are you sick?" He blurted out, sending his father a concerned glance as he left the car. "Wait, that didn't cause you to go to a hospital in the past... so maybe it's Kaa-san?" Toichi wordlessly led him towards the hospital, causing Kaito to crane his neck to look at him worriedly. His silence is very eerie. "That's it, isn't it? Kaa-san's in this hospital. And we're visiting her aren't we?"

"I see you're as observant as ever Kaito." Toichi smiled gently at the boy holding on to his hand. Toichi has no doubt that his son is smart, so he's not at all surprised that he figured out why they're here. Though he knew that his wide grin is already a dead giveaway.

"So this is where you go off to every day. But why so happy?" Kaito frowned in total confusion. If his mother's sick, his father should be worried, right? Instead, he's smiling like Christmas came early.

Toichi's grin suddenly widened at his question, creeping out Kaito even more. "Do you know what makes today so special?"

Kaito's frown deepened, "Um… today's special... 'cause I'm with you?" It ended up as a question.

"True, but that's not the complete answer."

At this, Kaito scrunched his face up thoughtfully, his mind working in overdrive. "What's so special about a Saturday?" He murmured to himself, but Toichi still picked up on it as if his volume is still normal. His father is always visiting his mother in the hospital these past few days, but did he ever mention why?

And then it struck him. Kaito suddenly remembered the one time he actually witnessed his father's poker face crack. The one time Kuroba Toichi's emotions are revealed purely in front of another person. That one memory that still stuck to him to this very day.

The one night his mother-belly already so huge and swollen-screamed at the top of her lungs, the terrible sound ringing in his ears and shaking him to his very core...

 **...**

 _Kaito still remembers so vividly how his father stiffened in between lecturing Kaito about his recent prank, the man's face expressing pure shock before the masks slammed automatically in place, revealing nothing else. It was almost like stone. Cold and blank, and genuinely scary._

 _The sound also triggered something in his father, because the man immediately went into action like a switch had been flipped; turning and running towards their room with an incredible and astonishing speed Kaito didn't even know he possessed, before running back out with his weak mother in his arms, so fast their forms almost blurred together._

 _Kaito had still barely recovered from the first scream when his mother suddenly did it again, though this time, the pain and terror in her voice are unmistakable, making Kaito freeze in place as horror gripped him and he desperately wondered what was wrong. Why was his mother crying and screaming in pain? Why was she hurting?_

 _What happened?!_

 _That was the moment his father's barely contained composure in the form of his poker face cracked and fell apart; finally revealing pure unadulterated shock, terror, and worry. His face, after being hidden by masks all these years, suddenly looked bare and vulnerable and exposed at that moment. It's almost scary and unbelievable seeing it, as Kaito's been used to only seeing one consistent emotion on Toichi's face; a specific emotion only he permits himself to project._

 _His father's control on his poker face is incredible, that is why it's so hard for Kaito to believe that his father's composure and control would crack so easily just because he heard the sound of his wife's pained screams. It made Kaito wonder just how much his parents loved each other, if that's the effect they have when one of them is in danger._

 _But he never had the time to dwell on those thoughts any further before his mother suddenly yelled, tone bordering on panic, desperation, and oddly enough…_ excitement _?_

 _"TOICHI! She's coming! T-The baby's coming!"_

 **...**

The baby is... _coming_?

 ** _A_ baby _!?_**

"K-Kaa-san's having a _baby_?!" Kaito gaped in astonishment, mind abruptly coming back to the present, before immediately realizing that they're already inside the elevator while he's been on his trip down the memory lane.

Meanwhile, Toichi's watching his son's face in concern. Kaito had been projecting worrying expressions while thinking so deeply about something, but the magician only has a vague suspicion as to what it was. "'Kaa-san' already _had_ the baby. Honestly Kaito, were you not listening to what I was saying every time I left to visit your mother?" Toichi shook his head in mock exasperation, making his son pout in embarrassment.

"Well… you see… I-I've been…"

"…Busy watching those tapes about my previous magic shows? Kaito, I'll teach you those if you really want to know."

His son immediately shook his head. Those tapes are only for distraction, but his father didn't need to know that. "It's not that. I'm just... worried." _For my mother,_ Toichi still heard the unspoken words. The magician sighed and shook his head fondly; that just confirmed that his son is still remembering the frightening night when Chikage gave birth and he is still clearly scared. Though it _is_ understandable, as they didn't really explain themselves after that night.

" _So_... you never told me why today's so special."

At this, Toichi's smile came back and he ruffled his son's spiky hair affectionately. It's over. Chikage's months of pregnancy is over. And the result of the long and painful wait is very beautiful and special indeed. "It's special because it's finally time for you to meet the newest member of our family."

"Newest member?" Kaito tilted his head curiously. "Who?"

"She's family Kaito, like Kaa-san and Tou-san." He patiently explained as they got off the elevator. "She's younger by several years, so I hope you'll be able to get along as you grow up together. I expect you to behave yourself when you see her, Kaito." Toichi then proceeded to stare him down with an extremely stern expression. Kaito instantly got the message.

"Hai, Tou-san. No tricks, no party poppers, and no balloons with flour. Got it."

"Most definitely not. She's just a baby Kaito, she's too sensitive to be pranked like what you did to young Aoko-kun just the other day."

"But she's just _fine_! Besides… she already got her revenge." At this, he glumly pointed to the reasonably-sized goose egg on the back of his head. Courtesy of the legendary mop from hell that Aoko always seems to carry around.

"This is serious Kaito. Any sign of pranks going off in that room, no matter how small, will lead to a halt in our magic lessons. For a whole year."

Kaito's eyes almost bugged out in shock. "No way. You're serious?!" He gaped when Toichi's still not budging from his glare. Finally, he sighed in defeat, "Alright, alright, no tricks. And I mean it too. I don't want to scare the baby after only a day." He said nonchalantly, but Toichi can still detect the sincerity and seriousness in his statement. Kaito won't do anything.

"Alright, we're here." Toichi slowly opened the door to Chikage's room, careful not to make any noise. If the baby is still sleeping and they accidentally woke her up from the noise, his wife will surely raise hell. Toichi knew that it won't be a problem for him. If he can sneak into brightly-lit museums to steal billions worth of jewels, all the while dressed in a white suit with a cape and silk hat, then he can handle not waking up an infant. The problem is his son…

Fortunately, Chikage seems to be in a good mood today. "I see you two are still so well-behaved and nothing's blown up yet. I should probably start leaving you both together if this is the result." A highly amused voice said from inside the room. Kaito's face immediately brightened in recognition and he cried. "Kaa-san!"

"Kai-chan!" Chikage cried back, her face displaying pure joy and affection. "I haven't seen you in _ages_!"

"It has just been a few weeks Chikage." Toichi shook his head in mock exasperation at his wife's antics.

"But you don't know how _bo~ring_ it is being stuck in this awful bed and cooped up in this stuffy room!" Chikage pouted, though they both knew it wasn't serious. She suddenly beamed. "Luckily my _roommate_ is more than enough company to relieve my boredom."

"By the way, where is she?" Toichi asked, though he already knew. He just let Kaito search a little more. If his son is interested and actually excited in meeting her, then it may be a start of a good relationship.

"Where's the baby?" Kaito finally asked Toichi in defeat. Smiling, the magician slowly led Kaito to the crib, which is on the other side of Chikage's bed the whole time. Finally seeing the crib, Kaito grinned widely and ran to it, immediately latching onto the bars like an overgrown monkey. He then proceeded to fall silent, his indigo eyes peering between the bars where his baby sister is quietly laying, her own eyes wide and… was it just him or is there actually a flicker of _nervousness_ in those eyes?

Nonetheless, Toichi chose to ignore it in favor of this special moment. The world famous magician suddenly began smiling proudly and announced in a tone of voice perfect for the stage, as if he's introducing the most beautiful magic trick ever to be produced to the world; which, in a vague sense, it actually is. "Kaito, meet the newest member of our family. Your sister, Kagami."

Kaito barely registered his new sister's name — _Kagami_?— though he _did_ notice how his parents watched with those highly observant eyes as the two siblings started staring at each other from behind the bars, their gazes open and unguarded. Both parents knew Kaito has not quite yet mastered the art of poker face, so his face is still openly displaying his emotions like a book. At the moment, their oldest son is frowning, his indigo eyes unabashedly roving all over and inspecting every inch of the baby girl. If Kaito is doing it to anyone else, it might've been considered rude. As it is, there is nothing shameful about doing it to his own sister whom he just met.

Toichi's observant gaze then switched to his daughter. Kagami is just lying there stiffly, her own wide blue eyes observing Kaito while he observed her. She doesn't seem to be moving. She doesn't seem to be breathing either, which is strange now that he thinks about it.

After a long, tense moment full of nothing but silence, his son finally made the first move. Kaito slowly brought his hand up and curled his fingers into a fist, making Toichi tense in alarm. If Kaito suddenly decided to ignore his promise and does something that might scare his sister, he won't know what'll hit him in the morning…

Toichi needn't have worried.

The two proud parents watched as their eldest son proceeded to produce a pink rose from his closed fist in a puff of smoke, eliciting a wide eyed gaze from his little sister. Kagami's eyes were wide in unconcealed wonder, and Kaito is wearing a sincere smile as he began to tuck the rose (thankfully without any thorns) behind Kagami's ear. The action made the little girl jump in surprise, before finally relaxing and letting out an adorable giggle.

Kaito, on the other hand, is grinning so freely now after receiving such a reaction from the toddler. He immediately proceeded to place a hand on his sibling's head and began to stroke the little wisps of brown hair on her head lightly, the gesture almost loving. The child instantly leaned into his touch, her mouth slowly forming a small smile and another giggle at the contact.

"I like her!" Kaito suddenly declared for the whole world to hear, his face almost breaking from his extremely wide grin. Kagami's cheeks immediately turned pink at his announcement, or it might have been just a trick of the light. However, for the trained eyes of the famous magician and the infamous Kaitou KID Kuroba Toichi, she might as well have blushed a deep tomato red.

Though her actions still left him extremely confused. He doesn't know much about babies, but he's pretty sure babies don't blush. Nevertheless, Toichi's mind is on a whirlwind, his brain practically playing and replaying that particular scene over and over again. Because it just doesn't make any sense.

"I see you've also noticed."

Toichi glanced at his wife who's also looking at him knowingly. Of course Chikage would know about it, she's been with Kagami the whole time. Besides, his wife's skills as the Phantom Lady is not something one should underestimate. Toichi nodded at her statement and said in a low voice, careful not to be overheard by the two children. "Our daughter's intelligent." It's not a question.

Chikage merely nodded and turned her attention back to the two kids. Kaito finally managed to coax Kagami out of her shell and they're now playing with the eleven differently colored roses Kaito has managed to produce out of nowhere. There's pink, which symbolizes admiration and happiness, yellow symbolizing cheerfulness, white symbolizing innocence, orange symbolizing excitement and enthusiasm, and many more. It seems Toichi taught Kaito extremely well regarding the proper rose colors appropriate for the current situation, as well as the necessary numbers (in this case, eleven) that tells the recipient that they are truly and deeply loved. Though Chikage didn't think all of it was necessary, as Kagami would probably not be able to tell the difference between a red and pink rose at her current age anyway.

Chikage's eyes softened. "Yes, but so is Kaito." she replied.

"Then I predict that they will lead a very interesting life from now on."

"Of that, I have no doubt."

 **...**

 **Rose color meanings:**

 _ **Pink -** Words like admiration, gentleness, grace, gladness, joy and sweetness are just a few ways to describe the meaning behind the pink rose. It can also convey happiness, gracefulness and admiration._

 _ **Yellow -** Bright, cheerful and joyful are what comes to mind when thinking of a yellow rose. Yellow roses create warm feelings and provide happiness. Giving yellow roses can tell someone the joy they bring you and the friendship you share._

 _ **White -** the purest of colors, represent innocence, purity and charm. White roses are traditionally used in weddings and can represent new beginnings. We believe that white roses can also express remembrance and innocence._

 _ **Orange -** evoke energy, and can indicate enthusiasm, desire and excitement. Giving orange roses can symbolize your excitement of the relationship you share with your loved one._

 _And also, giving **eleven roses** assures the recipient that they are truly and deeply loved._


	6. Chapter Five

**...**

 **Chapter Five**

 **...**

"What do you think, Kagami-chan?"

Chikage suddenly filled Kagami's vision, effectively cutting her observant gaze. "So do you like your new home?" Her mother's face is obviously extremely cheerful and excited for her reaction, though Kagami doesn't know what she expects her to do; gurgle happily? Clap and giggle? Can a months old baby even _do_ that?

Kagami started to reluctantly tug at the corners of her mouth, about to give her mother a small smile. Fortunately, she's saved from having to respond in any kind of way by Kaito, who's quickly becoming her most favorite person in the household. "Kaa-san! You know Kagami can't even speak yet. Why are you even asking her?"

Chikage pouted, "But isn't it normal for parents to ask something like that? Besides, I asked you that too when you were her age, you know. And it definitely gleaned interesting results."

At this, both the siblings' heads perked up. Kagami must admit that she's curious. Whatever did Kaito do?

"Chikage, it's probably best not to recount that particular… _incident_ again." Toichi said in amusement. "They might get ideas."

 _Now_ they're both curious. Seriously, what the heck did Kaito _do_?

Of course, no one answered her question, and she was left a bit put out. "Now I do believe it's time for Kagami to get settled in her new room. Kaito, lead the way." Kaito wasted no time. He immediately bounded off to another part of the house, up the stairs and into a large hallway with four very tall doors. As much as Kagami would like to crane her neck and peek at everything, she was never given a chance before Toichi entered a room that looked like it came straight out of a children's storybook.

Blue and pink. Blue and pink _everywhere_. On the walls, on the doors, on the sheets… except the crib, which remained a horrific white (she's kinda sick of white now after staying at a hospital with no other color to look at). The walls were decorated with different shapes and colors that are actually kinda fun to look at, and on the floor are various toys of all shapes and sizes, though not too small for a baby to accidentally swallow. The room also has a window, so Kagami can see outside the house and into the city, which she is certain is Ekoda.

All in all, it's an ordinary baby's room. But it's really pretty! Never mind she probably looked like an idiot, a teenager in a baby's body getting so worked up over baby rooms and toys, but she can't help but feel really happy for some reason.

Kagami's eyes were still wandering and absorbing all this in delight so she barely noticed it when Toichi finally deposited her into her new crib. She can't believe it… her own room. Something that her _parents_ decorated just for her. They went through this much effort for someone that's not supposed to even _exist_! All of this is for her! Granted, they're all baby things. But they bought it all for _her_!

"Oh sweetie, why are you crying!?" Chikage suddenly exclaimed, making Kagami wince in surprise at the shrill sound. That is, until she noticed the silent tears trailing down her cheeks. Both Toichi and Kaito were staring at her in worry, which is a bit unnerving, but she guessed it must also be equally unnerving to have a baby crying silently right in front of them, when typical babies cry like banshees. But Kagami's not in the mood to act like a normal baby right now. Not when she knew that they did all that for her. She isn't about to repay them by fooling them with play-acting.

 _"Thank you…"_ She choked out. Kagami knew it sounded nothing like actual words, probably more like a whine or a babble. But it's the thought that counts. She really wanted to express her gratitude on being accepted in this loving and wonderful family. Most of all, she wanted to speak and actually say it even though she knew it's impossible.

Maybe it's just a coincidence. Maybe he's a mind reader. Or maybe she actually spoke. Whatever the reason, she was shocked and so amazingly happy when Toichi suddenly smiled and reached a hand down to pat her head lightly, murmuring so silently she almost didn't hear it.

 _"You're welcome."_

Kagami slept happy and content in her new crib that night.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

With her bad luck, Kagami knows it will only be a matter of time before she slips and does something completely unbaby-like. Something that will probably show her as more mature than any other baby in the world.

Unfortunately, Kagami doesn't exactly know at what age a baby does certain things. She didn't exactly carry a baby milestone chart in her pockets. So naturally, something so _obvious_ and _mundane_ would nearly do her over.

Like simply raising her head and chest.

Like she said, no baby milestone chart. How was she supposed to know that babies don't lift certain body parts only a few weeks after they're born? _(She guesses it's something about them being too heavy.)_

It has just been a few days since she got settled in her new home. It was a peaceful day and she was just dozing peacefully when she suddenly heard a rustling sound and a muffled thump hitting her too sensitive ears. At first, she didn't pay it any mind. But then the sounds continued louder than ever that Kagami simply has to see what was going on.

And so Kagami slowly lifted her head and upper body up to tentatively peek at the offender. It wasn't easy, her head felt like lead and combined with her upper body, it made the lifting practically impossible. But she managed to do it for a total of two seconds before collapsing, the action more than enough to see that the sound is coming from the door. Memories of her in the past suddenly assaulted her mind; long nights where she spent nervously watching the door at all times, waiting for the dreadful banging, the yelling… instincts and experience told her to not make any sudden movements, lest something came flying overhead, but it left her confused and disoriented when she realized that no, there's no beer bottle flying and making its way to her head this time. Instead, what she saw was her older brother Kaito frozen in the position of sneaking in the nursery, wide eyes gazing nervously at her. But another sound; a sharp intake of breath, made Kagami's attention snap away from the boy and into the corner of the room where another person resides. She failed to remember that her parents are now taking turns guarding her so she won't have an accident or something, so guess who saw the whole thing?

Toichi was sitting right there, stiff and face unreadable, the book he's reading forgotten on his lap. Kagami instantly wondered what made the room so tense and silent, but a quick flicker of something in the magician's eyes revealed shock, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Oddly enough, there's pride there too.

Problem is, Kagami doesn't know what she did wrong.

Luckily, Kaito's always there to supply some very useful info. "Tou-san… she can already sit up?!"

Wait a minute… _SIT UP_?

No, she just raised her head and upper body to peek between the bars of the crib for two seconds. Is there something wrong with that…?

"She's not sitting up Kaito. But how can she lift her head at barely month old?" The last bit was murmured to himself, but Kagami can still hear it crystal clear. She abruptly felt dread creeping in her veins, leaving her frozen.

Is this it? Will she be outed just because of something so simple?

After that, Toichi spent the almost whole day subtly keeping an eye on her, not even twitching and moving from his position in the corner. It's a bit creepy, but Kagami supposed it's understandable. As a parent, he would most likely want to capture everything his daughter did with his own two eyes, though it doesn't mean she had to like it. She doesn't even know if she should be glad for the attention or not, but it pressured her to not move an inch this time.

Though knowing her luck, it will only get worse from now on.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

She was right. It _did_ get worse.

It's no secret that Kagami's developing way faster than normal toddlers. It's partly out of desire and determination to not be so helpless and partly because she was simply tired of lying down all day long.

Whatever is her reason, it doesn't change the fact that Toichi is watching her every move like a hawk; and it makes her feel a bit afraid that maybe she _is_ pushing things too far.

Which is why right now, she is doing everything she can to slow her development down. Only a few actions a day and nothing more. It frankly made her a bit guilty, especially because Kaito likes to see her development every hour of the day and is sad now that she isn't even moving. But it's for the good of everyone else. Sure she let a few things slip, but relearning everything from scratch is _hard,_ and so slowing her development down is not really a problem.

Trying to do the most basic motor skills are, quite frankly, _impossible_ no matter how determined you are. It seems raising her head and upper body the other time had just been a mistake, because she hadn't been able to do it again. Even something as simple as grasping something is hard because every time she tries, the object just slips out of her grip because she can't hold it firmly enough.

How could it be so difficult? She doesn't want this! It was _awful_ going through everything you have already known how to do by heart the second time around. She wanted so badly to walk again, to talk again, to hold things again, to eat by herself again... and especially _pee_ again! She wants to be independent again and not some helpless doll who had to be taken care of and play dress-up with because she can't move by herself.

Most of all, Kagami wants them to know what she's feeling and thinking. Speaking is certainly a skill she never appreciated in her first life. Now that she can't do it, it was so hard to keep all her feelings and thoughts inside her with no way to release them to anyone. Gestures and wailing can only do so much, after all. Though it _is_ impossible to relearn how to speak yet when there's a constant parent hovering over her every minute of every day.

She just hopes one of her parents falls asleep soon so she can finally try practicing speech.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 ** _._**

 _"Remember Kaito, when you're unsure about which way to take a trick, the greatest tool at your disposal is reverse psychology. A magician must always outwit his audience. If you get stuck on an idea, then you'll just have to take it in the opposite direction."_

 _Reverse psychology… huh._

Kagami lay quietly in her crib as she absorbed Toichi's words. Her father is currently teaching magic lessons to Kaito, something they thankfully did near Kagami's crib. They moved her downstairs for a change of scenery, but when they suddenly began those lessons, Kagami was beyond excited. She'll be witnessing the process Kaito has to take before he becomes a true magician, and if she's lucky, she might also be able to pick up a few things, like the lesson about reverse psychology just now. If she can just grow faster so Toichi could teach her himself…

 _'So_ this _is how the police and the detectives are always having trouble predicting Kaitou KID's moves.'_ Kagami mused. _'He's outwitting them by doing something they'll never expect. And when, on the off chance, they do expect it, he can just take the trick and reverse it so they'll be caught off guard once again. Reverse psychology.'_

It's certainly interesting, and learning how to actually do it may be even more so. Her now dark blue eyes glanced at the pair as they continued in their own little world. Listening may be all she can do right now, but if she can just glean something from these lessons, preferably the one about poker faces, then she can hide her secret with no one the wiser.

"Now Kaito," Toichi leaned and rested his chin on his hands, eyes focused only on his son. "Can you explain to me what a poker face is?"

 _"A poker face is an expression that people consciously work on to stay ahead of their adversaries. It's also absolutely essential for anyone who wants his words to be taken seriously."_ Kaito dutifully recited, and it's obvious this is something that they always say before every session judging by how monotonous his response is. _"A magician's number one weapon is their poker face, because whatever happens, good or bad, they can_ not _let their audience know what's about to happen. If your face gets speckled with even the tiniest hints of life and emotion, it's more than enough to give yourself and the trick away."_

"Precisely." Toichi nodded, pleased. "Now, I want you to execute what you've just recited right now. And whatever happens, keep your face _completely_ blank."

And then he promptly vanished.

Kagami watched in shock and incredulity at the sudden trick while Kaito tensed, but it's barely noticeable to anyone who wasn't paying attention. His face is also carefully blank at the face of Toichi's sudden disappearance, which is already quite amazing. Young Kaito's _good_ …

A loud **_crash!_** suddenly echoed in the kitchen, almost giving Kagami a heart attack. It sounded like a broken plate!

Kaito didn't even flinched.

A few minutes after the crash, was tense silence. It left both Kaito and Kagami alert and expecting. But when there is no noise after that, they both reluctantly relaxed a little, thinking that maybe it was over. Unfortunately, Toichi just _had_ to pick that time to startle them when a loud **_pop!_** sounded and suddenly, there are doves all over the place, bursting from every nook and cranny as far as the eyes could see. Kagami was struck speechless at the sight; she's never really seen a magic trick before, so this is all a completely new experience for her.

To her increasing awe, Kaito's not bothered by this at all. His face is still carefully blank as he assessed the situation before reaching out an arm to the birds. The doves immediately landed on his arm, apparently recognizing him.

 _Oh_ … so _that's_ how it is. Toichi's going to make a lot of disturbances until Kaito's poker face cracks. Simple, yet effective. It'll certainly train him how to react in unexpected situations.

 _Well, in that case…_

Kagami screamed.

The shrill sound pierced through the air, startling the doves and causing them to panic and fly erratically. Kaito's eyes widened a fraction and he immediately turned around to look at Kagami, worry threatening to pierce through his poker face. Kagami was immediately struck by his expression. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Kaito's about to run to her side any second in his concern. Realizing that he's gonna break soon, and Toichi would probably be disappointed in him from doing so _(after all, he_ did _tell him to keep a blank face whatever happens)_ Kagami immediately stopped. The abruptness of the action made Kaito gaze at her in disbelief, before another noise distracted him yet again.

A burst of party poppers and confetti sounded noisily from Kaito's left, which startled Kagami so bad she jumped. The doves weren't even done with their distraction yet! Kaito however, just kept his face as blank and as peaceful as it could go, though there's already tensing in his jawline. Again, barely noticeable, but Kagami's sure Toichi could see it, wherever he is.

However, amidst the chaos, the confetti, and the doves, Kagami suddenly noticed a white and small object suddenly drop from the ceiling, and it was heading straight for Kaito's head. She could see that her brother hasn't noticed it yet, but if he's caught off-guard…

The egg promptly smashed.

Kagami winced as Kaito yelped so loud it hurt her ears, his head and hair dripping wet and sticky. He quickly ducked his head to remove the substance from his hair, which caused him to miss Toichi's silent entrance to the room, though Kagami didn't. The reincarnated baby tried shaking her head fondly as Kaito once again yelped in surprise at Toichi's sudden appearance in front of him. The future Kaitou KID still has much to learn…

Though she can hardly complain. She'll probably only last at Toichi's first disappearing act anyway.

"I must admit I did not expect your sister to suddenly cry while we're practicing, but you nearly lost your poker face there." Toichi told him, tone a bit stern.

"I… I just… I thought something happened to her. You know those doves, they're a bit naughty sometimes…" Kaito mumbled, his head down as a sign of shame. "I thought one of them pecked her or something…"

Kagami's eyes widened at the sight and she instantly felt ashamed. She had thought it would be fun to mess around a bit… she hadn't known Kaito would be affected by it so badly.

Toichi, on the other hand, just sighed and placed a hand on Kaito's shoulder reassuringly. He knew it was just an accident. Besides, Kaito cared too much about Kagami to not ignore her cries. He could hardly blame him, he too felt worried when his daughter screamed all of a sudden. Good thing she stopped when she did, or father and son might have ambushed her in an attempt to comfort her. Though Toichi _did_ think of Kagami's sudden silence as extremely odd.

What reason would she have to cry and suddenly stop anyway?

"Good thing you're okay, Mi-chan!" Kaito grinned at her as he approached. _I have a nickname already,_ Kagami noted absently. _A nickname only my older brother calls me…_ Somehow, that fact made her feel so happy and light. It was the first time someone called her by a nickname. 'Ivy' doesn't exactly have ones to go along with. To be called that by someone so innocent and endearing…

Kagami gurgled happily and raised both chubby hands. Kaito laughed and reached a hand down, the two grasping the other's hands tight. She can't speak yet to convey what she felt, so maybe she could just show him instead…?

And then pink smoke and confetti started pouring out from between their clasped hands and all hell broke loose.

Kagami sat back and watched in silent amusement as Toichi lightly scolded Kaito for pranking his 'extremely vulnerable' little sister, while Kaito just stood there and blinked innocently at him, wearing a perfect angelic poker face. _That sneaky little bugger..._

This is obviously Kaito's little way to get revenge on her, but _she's_ not the one getting scolded now, so it's all good.


	7. Chapter Six

**...**

 **Chapter Six**

 **...**

His youngest daughter is an enigma.

Of course, Toichi did not mean that in a bad way, but it is certainly the only thing he could think of in such a short notice. As it is, his poker face hid anything that might give away his thoughts, so he can observe freely… for now.

To be perfectly honest, Toichi had never been quite sure what to make of the child. For one, it all started the day she was born. The first time he held her, Toichi instantly knew she was different from other children. She was too calm. Too open. It was very strange behavior, and he half-expected her not to cry altogether, just to add to the growing list of odd qualities. Surprisingly, she did just that the moment Chikage talked to her. He was sure his wife did not notice it because she was so tired at that time, but he still decided not to mention it to her until he had a chance to sort out his thoughts and figure her out himself.

Besides, he imagined his wife will most likely figure it out by the end of the week. Nothing gets past her after all.

And so after that incident, Toichi began growing extremely curious about the child. So much so that he started visiting her in the hospital's nursery every day; both officially and unofficially. When he was 'officially' visiting, he observes her through the window for any sort of odd behavior, but all she did was sleep.

And then he started 'unofficially' visiting, (which is obviously another term for ' _spying_ ') Though this time, he finally caught a glimpse of the other side of his daughter she's obviously trying to keep hidden. Kagami suddenly looks so weary and tired whenever she thought she was alone. Sure she was just lying in her crib, but her face already looks like she carries all the world's problems in her shoulders. It was a really unsettling expression to see in a baby and he desperately hopes that whatever phase she's going through right now will soon disappear. The doctors all assured him that she's completely healthy; no diseases, no illnesses, no abnormalities. A hundred percent guarantee. So why were his instincts screaming at him that something is terribly _wrong_?

Naturally, he didn't let any of those anxious thoughts stop him from letting his two children meet. They were both the most important thing in the world for him, more precious than any sort of gem he could steal, but he wouldn't deny that he would be upset if they wouldn't get along, or if Kaito noticed his new sister's unusual behavior and become distant.

No, that certainly won't do.

In the end though, he needn't have worried. Kagami's first meeting with her brother had gone remarkably well, in spite of his anxious thoughts. The girl had proven to show other expressions other than calmness and fear; acting shy and positively delighted while playing with her brother. Certainly a good improvement.

On another note, his complete faith and trust in his clever wife's skills was not misplaced. True to form, Chikage quickly figured out that something was off with their daughter in only a few days; most of which Kagami spent in a nursery away from his mother's attention. It is definitely much earlier than his previous assumption of a week. Truly impressive.

Unfortunately, Toichi belatedly realized that whatever phase his daughter is in right now will probably go longer that it should, as evident by her actions the past few months.

For one thing, his daughter is a very early and fast developer. So fast she surpassed Kaito's record, who is an early developer himself. Either she is a really smart baby, or she already knew how to do those things beforehand, which Toichi immediately dismissed as absolutely impossible and not worth a second thought.

Though with the things he had been privy to recently, like the Pandora gem and the legend of immortality, it's not hard to keep an open mind about the impossible.

But what he found even weirder was, even with early motor skills, Kagami still had not yet spoken a single word.

She likes to move around, that much is certain. But when it came to babbling, she's unusually silent. Toichi is sure his daughter is not mute, as he heard her babble in the past, but he is certainly clueless as to what brought the girl to suddenly stop attempting to speak.

Kaito once commented she's the most silent baby he's ever come across. His daughter is a big mystery indeed, and he bets his friend Yuusaku will have a fun time trying to figure her out; not that he plans on letting them meet anytime soon. Yuusaku's a good man, but he can be a bit overwhelming with his deductions and frankly, Toichi does not need Yuusaku suspecting he is the Kaitou KID yet again (though he probably already knew).

But that's not the problem right now. In fact, the whole reason why he triggered these thoughts now, of all times, was because the subject of the matter is currently staring at him with undisguised horror all over her face, mouth even hanging open and all that.

He suddenly grew very self-conscious, absently wondering if Kaito drew on his face again or something equally outrageous that Kagami felt the need to stare at him like that. That boy really needs to step the pranking down a notch, though he really only had himself to blame. He can't deny that he's pretty much a kid at heart too.

He can't shake the fact that he's obviously missing something. Something that is definitely vital and will make things absolutely clearer if he can _just figure it out._

One thing is for sure though, this whole incident happened the moment his son mentioned his age...

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

She's screwed. She's screwed. She's royally _screwed_.

Kagami perfectly knew and understood that going back to being a baby while knowing what's coming in the future will have major consequences, but she didn't know exactly how serious the situation is until it slapped her right across the face, along with the realization that luck is totally not by her side at the moment.

She's so close to the event where everything started; to the event that has everything to do with the family she has come to love. And she didn't even realize how _close_ she is until her brother Kaito made a passing comment about his age that made her whole world come crashing down.

Kaito's turning nine in just a few weeks. And if Kagami remembered correctly, Toichi, her father, will die in a magic accident when he turns nine!

She doesn't want him to die!

A quick glance at the man in question had Kagami immediately dissipating those thoughts in her head and making her realize another mistake she just made.

Slamming her masks down _(though she knows it won't do her any good as Toichi most probably still saw it),_ she tried her hardest to dismiss any hint of the shock and horror on her face. She had a bit of poker face training by watching Kaito and her father have lessons several times a week in the last two months. She can now hold her own against one of Toichi's surprises, though only barely. Her poker face is not perfect and only amateurish at best, but she knows it's the only thing she can rely on now. Kagami began putting all her focus on a random crack on the wall and tried to concentrate on her breathing, willing her face to form a blank expression. But the raging thoughts on her head is making it very difficult.

Shooting a brief and apprehensive glance at Toichi from the corner of her eye to know what he is thinking revealed absolutely nothing. The master of poker faces is at it again. He's showing no sign of having seen any sort of expression from her face, choosing instead to converse with his son like nothing happened. But Kagami knew he's suspicious, and will likely not stop there. She has to figure out a plan before Kaito's ninth birthday.

But first, she has to shake him off her trail. It wouldn't do to get discovered this early.

Time to put her meager acting skills into play.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

A high-pitched squeal suddenly interrupted Toichi and Kaito's idle conversation, startling both father and son into silence. They both knew those sounds are rare, so it's best to pay attention to her whenever she does it.

"What is it Kagami?" Toichi asked gently, his calm smile not betraying anything.

The girl raised her arms, expression happy and excited. She waved both of them in the air and giggled, getting Toichi to quickly recognize the gesture.

"You want to be picked up?"

A wave of her arms and a squeal answered his question.

Bending down, Toichi cradled her small body in his arms, absently wondering what was causing his daughter's strange actions today. She's usually just playing with the stuffed animals in her crib by herself, only getting a companion if someone wants to join her, (usually Kaito). It's rare to be the one invited by _her_. Kaito looked puzzled at the scene too.

Hands suddenly snaked into his hair and grabbed fistfuls, causing Toichi to stare at the baby in his arms in surprise. The girl is grinning widely, displaying her gums for all to see. Her hands continued weaving all over his hair, probably turning it into a rat's nest like Kaito's. Finally done, she giggled happily at the result before quickly growing bored. Reaching up, she suddenly tugged at his ears hard, making him wince slightly.

Kaito burst out laughing at the scene, too amused to consider helping his father with his predicament. "Ha! That's super funny Mi-chan! Do it again!" He urged.

"Kaito, stop encouraging her and just help m-" Toichi suddenly paused and sighed. "Kagami, please stop drooling on me."

A happy squeal was his answer.

Toichi finally sighed in defeat and just continued cradling and rocking his daughter, while said daughter continued her assault. Unfortunately, his moustache is the victim this time, eliciting another long laugh from her brother.

His daughter's sudden childish tendencies made him pause and think though. She looks genuinely happy doing this, as if it's normal to swirl someone else's moustache with their fingers. He doesn't know why, but it made him second guess his theories just a little.

Toichi frowned internally and continued to think, letting his body run on autopilot and let it take over for a bit.

Is it possible that maybe... maybe he went about all this the wrong way? Like, maybe Kagami's just quieter than most babies. Maybe she's just too smart for her age.

Toichi vaguely remembered that Kaito's like this as well the first time he went to school. He was immediately branded as strange by his peers the moment they found out that he's smarter than his classmates and the years above him. Because of this, many are intimidated and refused to be friends with him. It's only because of Kaito's outgoing personality and optimism that he managed to have some friends.

It seems history is repeating itself, because the same is happening to his daughter. He's unknowingly isolating her because she's acting stranger than normal. He's misunderstanding her actions for something more sinister.

He's getting all suspicious on a _baby_.

Realizing this and feeling like the worst father ever, Toichi began looking at his daughter in a new light. She's now acting like an ordinary baby with their usual quirks; drooling all over everything and playing with anything they could get their hands on, (his moustache is probably in a weird shape by now, judging by Kaito's reactions). Maybe her silence _is_ just a phase she'll grow out of soon.

He felt strangely relieved that he can still do something to make up for the misunderstanding. It's a good thing he managed to catch the mistake so early or else it would've produced some negative effects in her development, like her odd muteness right now. What if she continued to be mute while she grows up? Worse, it could've been irreversible if he left it like that.

Maybe it's time to focus his attention more to his daughter.

A painful tug on his moustache snapped him out of his thoughts and made him face two bright indigo eyes that just looks so innocent and carefree. The sight did nothing but further cement his theory and resolve.

Though a tiny hint of suspicion still rested at the back of his mind, whispering that he should believe in his instincts.

After all, they've never steered him wrong before.


	8. Chapter Seven

**...**

 **Chapter Seven**

 **...**

Kagami blinked. And blinked. And because she can't do anything more to express her bafflement, she just kept blinking.

A blonde-haired girl wearing the most outrageous clothes she has ever seen stood posing in the middle of their living room, bright green eyes twinkling mischievously. Not missing a beat, the girl blew a kiss and winked at her audience before turning and walking back where she came from, hips swaying in a highly exaggerated manner. Feeling a headache coming, Kagami started to bring up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, but quickly realized that she still can't move properly so she settled for closing her eyes in exasperation instead.

Though to be honest, this doesn't really surprise her anymore. Living with the Kuroba family has made her pretty much immune to their strange antics by now. In fact, it seems they're actually rubbing off on her. Kagami now felt a whole lot lighter, more carefree, and just a tad bit more mischievous than her previous time as the more serious and independent Ivy. A very drastic change if she ever saw one.

A muffled snort abruptly brought her mind to the present and made her tear her gaze off from the strange girl who's still posing in the room, and to her father standing by her side. Unsurprisingly, there's no trace of the amusement he must be feeling right now on his face, though Kagami is still a hundred percent sure that the snort came from him.

"And what exactly are you doing Kaito?" Toichi raised an eyebrow sternly, obviously daring his son to come up with a good explanation fast.

Kaito-the-blonde-haired-girl did not disappoint, though it's a bit unsettling to hear his voice come from the pretty girl's mouth. "You said I should practice my disguising skills in front of you." He said innocently, bright green eyes blinking rapidly.

"And you chose to practice with a costume that clearly looks like it should belong to a circus _because_ …?"

Kaito shrugged nonchalantly, jostling his gigantic hoop earrings with his shoulders. "I wanted to have a bit of fun."

"With the multicolored feathers, headdress, skirt, hoop earrings, and makeup, you _do_ know you look like a miniature peacock right?"

"Yep." Kaito grinned, popping the 'p' sound at the end.

Toichi slowly massaged his temples, feeling a huge headache coming on. Neither noticed that his daughter is doing the exact same thing. Kaito just grinned wider in amusement.

"Kaito…" _Uh oh_. Father's using _that_ tone. Her brother obviously noticed as well, because he cringed slightly. "Tell me again what the most important part of disguising is."

Her brother frowned, obviously wracking his brain trying to remember. "Um… something about… about not standing out?" He abruptly stopped. " _Oh_."

"' _Oh_ ' indeed." Toichi nodded, his eyes now twinkling as a faint sign of amusement. "And do you think you're standing out?"

Kaito finally slumped, his headdress slightly drooping from his head. " _Yeah_ …"

"Kaito, the whole point of disguising is to blend in with the crowd. Do not wear something too outrageous or too plain. In fact, that's seriously the worst thing you could ever do when attempting a disguise." Toichi suddenly paused and frowned thoughtfully. "Well, unless you're planning on becoming a part of a circus, then I guess it's acceptable. Frankly, I don't even know where you got that thing…"

A murmured "Kaa-san's closet" made Kagami grin in spite of herself while Toichi just pretended to not have heard.

"…and I thought you said you wanted to invite Aoko-kun over? What happened to our deal?"

Kaito suddenly stiffened, his cerulean eyes slowly widening in shock.

"O-Our deal?" He echoed.

Toichi peered at him, " _Our deal._ " He confirmed.

"I…" Suddenly, Kaito looks panicked. "I guess I kind of… sort of… _forgot_?"

He actually sounded like he couldn't believe it himself.

Toichi just sighed while Kagami felt oddly unsurprised. She had the feeling long ago that Kaito's a bit of a scatterbrain with his never-ending enthusiasm, hyperactivity, and constant itch to do multiple things at once as evidence. So much so that she was beginning to think that he has a mild case of ADHD. How he lost that when he became the Kaitou KID is anyone's guess.

But still, they just made that deal a few minutes ago!

Toichi looked incredulous himself. "You mean you forgot that you asked me to invite Aoko-kun over to let her meet your sister, and that we made a deal that you'll have to disguise your best and impress me first before I allow you to?"

Kaito's jaw fell open. "Oh my god, I _did_!"

" _Language_ Kaito."

Kaito suddenly looked sheepish. " _Sooo_ … I don't suppose we can try again?"

Puppy dog eyes suddenly dazzled the whole room, nearly blinding Kagami at the radiance and sheer cuteness of it. Toichi looked unaffected, though he _did_ give in.

"Alright, one last chance to win the deal. And _please_ remember the rule this time."

Kaito immediately cheered in triumph, his raw enthusiasm affecting everyone like a disease. A quick turn of his heel and he's gone from the room, but not before sending a quick flirtatious wink in Kagami's general direction, making her shift uncomfortably. Getting a boy to look _that_ cute when cross-dressing as a girl should be a sin!

Nevertheless, Kagami felt amazed. If Kaito hadn't worn that costume from the start, he would've automatically passed off as a very convincing girl. That's some serious skills right there. And at only eight years old!

Wait.

She just realized that if she had a skill like that, and could hopefully be an expert in it soon, it could be _very_ useful in the future. It might even save her life if she ever got into a tight spot. She can't predict anything that might happen once she's older, so it's probably better to learn things _now_.

But while that is all good and dandy, the only problem is the learning itself. Toichi can't teach a _baby_. And she can't learn how to disguise just by watching them. She could only learn the rules at best.

 _Once again, curse this body!_

 ** _"I'm baaack~!"_** Someone suddenly announced in both English and in a little girl's voice before banging the door open for a more dramatic entrance; though neither father nor daughter were surprised with both their poker faces firmly intact. The girl was not deterred though, and continued to strut confidently towards them like a supermodel with ego problems.

To her utter amazement, the girl who's looking completely proud of herself right now is actually her older brother Kaito in disguise. Her older brother who actually, totally, _completely_ looks like a real girl with his long brown hair tied in a ponytail, a red flower patterned dress that almost made her blush at its incredibly short length, bright blue eyes, and black doll shoes. Probably the only real hint of him still being Kaito is his complexion, but many people have the same skin color so it's not that much of a difference.

All in all, it's _very_ convincing.

" _Sooo~?_ What do you think now? Impressed?" Kaito grinned cheerfully and spun, letting the two admire _-in Kagami's case, envy_ \- his perfectly made disguise.

"I see when you're not goofing off and actually motivated, you can produce good results." Toichi mused.

Kaito immediately stopped and pouted, "Just tell me if I passed or not."

"Impatient as always."

Nevertheless, Toichi began pacing and scrutinizing every detail in Kaito's disguise; his intense gaze making Kaito fidget uncomfortably. But Kagami knew Toichi's just dragging this out to make Kaito feel a bit nervous. They both know that his disguise is perfect.

Eventually, her brother caught on and smiled knowingly. Toichi smiled as well and straightened, his gaze proud and pleased.

"I think it's time to tell your mother that we're about to have a visitor."

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

"K-K- _KAWAIIII_ ~!"

"Oi, oi! Don't go hogging Mi-chan all to yourself!"

"You call her 'Mi-chan'? That's so _adorable_ ~!"

"Heh! You jealous Ahoko?"

"Mou... I _really_ hope you won't turn out like your baka nii-chan here! Though with _him_ as a brother, I guess I should better prepare myself for the inevitable..."

" _Hey_! I'll be a good brother to her!"

" _Good brother?_ I bet next time I see her you've already taught her all about 'Dyeing other people's hair without permission 101'."

"Of _course_ not!" He looked positively outraged at the idea. "That's not the way it goes! _First_ , I'll teach her how to flip other girls' skirts. Once she mastered that, then _that's_ the time when I'll teach her how to dye hair! Really Aoko, I thought you know the rules by now."

 _"Kai...to..."_ Aoko looked _steaming_ mad, _"DON'T CONVERT MI-CHAN INTO YOUR EVIL WAYS, BAKA!"_

 ***BANG!***

" _OWWW_! Ahoko, cut it out!"

Kagami burst out laughing at the sight of the two chasing each other around like idiots, almost falling over in her amusement. Seeing this, Kaito immediately grinned and taunted Aoko a bit more, provoking the short-tempered girl to increase her mop swinging efforts. He was promptly rewarded by a delighted laugh from the floor and a goose egg the size of his fist on the back of his head, but it was worth it.

He had been afraid his younger sister was mute. It was a huge relief to find out the opposite.

As for Kagami, she felt like she was hit by nostalgia witnessing this scene, which is weird because this is the first time she ever met Aoko in this world, and understandable because she's already seen this in the anime multiple times. And damn if that girl isn't scary.

And seeing her older brother run and taunt the girl made her smile fondly, remembering Kaito's own fondness for his precious childhood friend.

For the past week, Kaito has been doing nothing but prepare her for this day. Day and night he regaled her with stories about all his adventures and pranks for the last two years with his friend Nakamori Aoko. Every word he said has an 'Aoko did this' and 'Aoko did that', so it's not so hard to tell that he's very fond with her. (Though knowing that they are a future couple helped too.) He also instructed her on what to do when they finally meet, which is to behave and be as cute as possible to charm the girl. Said something about Kagami being his secret weapon whenever Aoko gets mad…

But the most adorable thing she ever heard Kaito say was when he was describing Aoko to her. And quote: "Aoko's a girl about this tall, you see? And she has this long, messy hair that's kinda cute in a scruffy way, and she has this big blue eyes that just sparkle whenever she's happy. And mad. Yep, those definitely sparkle whenever she's mad at me. Don't know why though, I'm a perfect angel!" Here, he grinned angelically at her, almost causing her to roll her eyes. "Aoko's also kinda sweet when you catch her in a good mood. She's also very kind to almost everyone. I swear she's gonna get kidnapped one day just because she's so nice to everyone she sees… except for the Kaitou KID. She and her dad are crazy about him! I tell you, _CRAZY_! KID better run if he ever runs into her and that mop from hell." Here, Kaito suddenly face-palmed, surprising Kagami at the abruptness of the action. "Aww who am I kidding!? Can you even understand me? Of course you can't! Ugh, I'm wasting my breath. Just… take my word for it and be a good little sis. I'll take care of the rest!" ** _*insert wink*_** End quote.

To Kaito's credit, he did take care of the rest, which is why his ***insert air quotes*** sweet, kind, and cute childhood friend is currently trying to whack his brains out his head with her mop.

One thing is for sure though. Kaito's obviously love struck with the girl since they first met, or he's just getting there. And that it will obviously last until high school, which just says something about Kaito's loyalty to a person. That kind of devotion definitely deserves a medal...

"KAIT _OOOO_!" Aoko growled and brutally swung the mop straight towards his head, which Kaito swiftly dodged with some serious gymnast skills.

They didn't see the vase sitting right behind him.

Kaito's yell of horror got stuck in his throat as he watched the vase get hit and fly into the air, careening straight towards the direction of the floor where his sister is silently sitting and watching. He barely noticed Aoko scream in fear beside him as he ran, his legs burning as he put more speed into them, hands outstretched and trying to reach the vase…

 _NO! I'm… almost there…!_

Fingertips brushed against the surface of the vase before missing completely, filling Kaito with dread as he turned to yell at Kagami to run and get out of there, completely forgetting that she wouldn't understand and she'll get hurt-!

Kagami fell over and the vase shattered.

" _NO_!" He screamed, unknowingly alerting his parents who were upstairs. He didn't notice and immediately collapsed on his knees beside his sister's fallen body. He barely noticed Aoko kneel beside him, her own eyes wide open and filled with terrified tears.

 _He didn't know it would come to this… It was just an innocent mop fight! No one's ever been hurt by one of those! If something happens to her…!_

"I… I-I'm sorry… _I'm so sorry Kaito!_ " Aoko sobbed, fresh tears trailing down her cheeks. Her blue eyes were still wide in shock and horror, though Kaito suspects his is like that too.

"What's going on?!" His father promptly burst into the room, his mother hot in his heels. Kaito watched Toichi take in the situation before rushing forward and scooping Kagami's body in his arms. His mother steered them out of the way but let them stay as Toichi immediately set the girl on the couch, his expert eyes taking in the cut on her cheek.

"What happened?" Chikage fixed the two with a stern and mad glare, obviously trying to keep her composure.

"It's all my fault!" Aoko suddenly sobbed, causing all eyes to stare at her in shock. "I swung the mop and hit the vase!"

"No, it's _my_ fault!" Kaito immediately protested, horrified at Aoko's confession. "I provoked Aoko into swinging the mop! It's not her, it's me!"

"How could you say that?!" Aoko yelled at him, "You know it's because of me!"

"Quiet." Toichi commanded, back still facing them. The tone he used exuded authority and Aoko immediately went silent, but Kaito's too worried to process the order in his head. "How is she Tou-san?!"

Chikage silently glanced at Toichi, her eyes taking in his oddly relaxed posture. Another glance confirmed it.

Kagami's safe.

"The only wound she has is a minor cut on her cheek. Easily fixed with a band aid. She's alright."

His words are confirmed by Kagami sitting up by herself, her wide eyes taking in the scene. The cut on her cheek oozed blood, but not plenty enough to be considered harmful.

"What?" Aoko gaped. "But I saw the vase hit her!"

"Wait…" Kaito tried to remember the event. "Wait, I think I remember. Kagami fell before the vase hit."

Toichi raised an eyebrow. "She fell?"

Kaito nodded. "I remember yelling at her to get out of there. Maybe she understood me?" He weakly laughed, his joke feeble at best.

Unknown to him, that's _exactly_ what happened.

Kagami sat still as the adrenaline rush finally faded, leaving only her trembling form. It had been close. _Too close._ A second later and her whole head might have been smashed and cut to bits. She had been watching the moment Aoko swung the mop and hit the vase, sending it flying over to her like an over-sized baseball. It made her freeze in spite of herself, and only Kaito's yelled words jolted her out of her stupor and made her fall over to dodge the vase. Needless to say, she was still in shock.

"In any case," Toichi said, scooping up Kagami's frozen form and handing her to his wife. "You two come with me while Chikage takes care of Kagami. You're lucky she just came out with a minor cut." The magician's eyes suddenly hardened and turned as cold as ice, immediately letting the two realize that he is _really_ mad and is just barely maintaining his composure. It's also clear that they'll _definitely_ receive punishment, regardless of who's really at fault.

Kaito and Aoko's head hung guiltily, knowing that they both deserved it anyway. If Kagami hadn't fell over when she did, they would most likely be in the hospital right now worrying and praying.

Kaito silently clenched his fists, digging the nails into his palms _hard_. He felt extremely _furious_ with himself. He had been expected to take care of his sister while Aoko came to visit. He had even promised! And look where that got him.

Maybe… maybe he's not fit for this older brother stuff. Maybe Aoko's a better fit than him. She's motherly and loving, she can probably protect and care for her more than _he_ can, since all he does is make fun of everything.

He can almost _feel_ his father's fury. Kuroba Toichi rarely got angry, he's always been a carefree and lighthearted man. He always settles his problems with a smile on his face. But when he gets mad enough, he's like a whole other person. Kaito should know, since he got him that mad for once, and he still feels guilty about it even now. It makes sense that his father gets mad at them for endangering his sister's life. In fact, he welcomes it. He knew he deserves it.

Which is why he just bowed his head in defeat when his father delivered the first words of his lecture in the angriest tone he could muster:

"I _trusted_ you Kaito. I _trusted_ you to keep your sister safe. Do you even realize how _close_ she had been to being seriously injured?"

While Kaito knew he deserves it and that Toichi didn't really mean it, he still felt like crying. His eyes teared up and he knew it will only be a matter of time before it fully blurred his vision.

"It's not his fault!" Aoko, his ever loyal friend, suddenly shouted in his defense. " _I'm_ the one who got angry so easily and brought out a mop when a baby is present. Kaito's just running away from my hits. If anyone's at fault, it's me!"

No... Aoko getting easily angered is one of the many traits that made her her own person. It's just natural for her to get angry if he taunted her like that. If anything…

"No, it's mine." He said quietly, his firm tone making Aoko fall silent in surprise. "I should never have started the mop fight in the first place. Her safety is my responsibility." Kaito immediately bowed low in apology, obviously guilt-ridden. "I'm really sorry, Tou-san!"

Aoko stared in surprise while Toichi just stood still. Several minutes passed before Toichi finally brought a hand on his son's shoulder, causing Kaito to look up in shock.

Toichi smiled warmly. "Kagami's only scratched. There's no harm done. And I'm sure you've already learned your lesson, so let's go see your sister, shall we?"

Kaito and Aoko were both left staring at the back of Kaito's father before he disappeared up the stairs quickly. Left in silence, the two friends both exchanged glances for a long moment before something finally passed between them and they both relaxed, realizing that he has already forgiven her for her mistakes that day and vice versa. No need for words.

Besides, they both know that while Toichi already forgave them, he's still not going to rest until they're properly chastised enough. Which probably means a week full of humiliation for the two.

 **...**


	9. Chapter Eight

**...**

 **Chapter Eight**

 **...**

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAITOOO~!"

Said birthday boy stood gaping in shock as everyone showered him with confetti and balloons. His eyes darted from his parents who are grinning like mad among the crowd, and to his little sister who he is still carrying in his arms. She looked and acted innocent, but he understood now that her role for the past two hours had been to occupy him so they can set this up. A whole two hours of crying and playing and wailing and successfully distracting him with her very first word. Suffice to say, it really kept him occupied enough that he completely failed to notice that his parents are setting up a party right downstairs.

"Okay, you got me. This is actually pretty awesome." Kaito admitted. Everyone laughed and quickly ushered him to the front where his parents are waiting. He shot them both a mildly exasperated look as he handed Kagami off to their mother, but they just shooed him off to the direction of the stage with amused smiles.

Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, he proceeded to stand in front of the crowd which he now noticed consisted of the friends he made in school and his parents' friends who he only knew from brief meetings. Kinda weird that they'll take the time to attend his birthday party, but he isn't about to complain when there's a mountain load of presents just waiting for his eager fingers to unwrap _and_ a delicious chocolate cake just waiting to be devoured by his watering mouth.

The guests quickly hushed as the cake is brought to him by a cutely dressed Aoko who is beaming as she offered it shyly, "Happy birthday Kaito!"

"Oh! Uh… a-arigatou Aoko…" He mumbled, completely forgetting his composure for a moment as he noticed how adorably _cute_ Aoko looked in that blue dress and the huge bow on her messy brown hair. He usually only sees Aoko wearing a simple skirt and blouse, so it really caught him off-guard when he saw just what she wears on special occasions. He was about to start blushing like a complete idiot when he was quickly saved by the knowing look his father sent him out the corner of his eye, which made him instantly realize that this is absolutely _not_ the time to think of such things.

Kaito immediately tried to wear a nonchalant face, but he still couldn't help but notice her pink cheeks and cute appearance. In a fit of panic, a party popper suddenly exploded from within his sleeve and went straight to Aoko's face, immediately making her stumble away from the confetti in surprise and for her face to instantly go red in embarrassment and anger. Now _that_ he can look at without blushing like crazy.

" _Bakaito_ …" Aoko hissed, her face getting steadily red from the pent-up frustration she can't release without a mop in sight, thank god. "I'll let this go just because it's your birthday… but don't worry! I won't forget this." Aoko proceeded to smile sweetly, though the effect is quickly ruined by her eyelid which is twitching like crazy and how she looked about ready to whack Kaito over the head with the platter containing the cake. Kaito just smiled sheepishly at her before turning his attention to his beloved cake, looking so absolutely _divine_ with its chocolate icing and chocolate decorations with chocolate bars on top…

" _Bakaito_!" Aoko snapped, "Quit admiring the stupid cake and blow out the candles already!"

"Hai, hai…" Kaito rolled his eyes before finally taking notice of the lit candle shaped like a '9' (was it there a moment ago?) and finally blowing it. The smoke accidentally went straight to Aoko's face yet again, making her cough violently and glare daggers at him.

" _Sooo_ now that that's done, I guess I should say a speech now." Everyone immediately laughed. "You know, I probably _would_ have a speech right now if _some people_ …" his parents and (oddly) his sister just smiled innocently, "…bothered to give me a heads up. But this probably wouldn't be a surprise if they did that _sooo_ …" here, he suddenly spread his arms wide as a full-blown grin finally graced his excited face. "Thank you all for attending my birthday party that I absolutely know nothing about and I hope you enjoy yourselves. Happy birthday to me!"

"Happy birthday!" Everyone shouted and clapped enthusiastically, Kaito bowing and looking like he is in his natural element making them all clap even more.

"You know, you could have given me a warning or something." Kaito finally told them a few moments later as they watched the guests head to the table full of food.

"Well, that would sort of ruin the whole 'surprise' in a _surprise_ birthday party." His father implied a bit sarcastically. "But we are all pretty confident that you'll do fine. You _are_ comfortable in front of crowds, after all."

"Point." Kaito admitted grudgingly.

"Kagami-chan, do you want some cake?" Chikage asked the girl in her arms who was obviously eyeing the cake with a peculiar expression on her face. The sight of his sister jolted a memory out of Kaito's mind and he immediately pointed a trembling finger at her. "AH!"

" _Ah?"_ His parents tilted their heads in confusion.

"I was going to tell you something before you sprung this whole 'surprise party' at my face!" Kaito smacked a hand at his forehead repeatedly, "Idiot, idiot, idiot!"

"What? What's going on?" Toichi seems to sense that something important happened, but was caught off-guard when his son suddenly ran to the stage in full speed and called the attention of the guests yet again. "Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your attention please!?"

The crowd instantly quieted and turned their attention to the birthday boy who is currently waving his arms frantically in obvious excitement. A long awkward silence which Kaito just spent visibly trembling in enthusiasm was broken by a voice in the crowd (who sounded suspiciously like Nakamori Aoko) who yelled, "spit it out already, baka!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh!" Kaito rolled his eyes at the messy haired young girl who pouted (thereby confirming the crowd's suspicion of the voice's identity) before visibly lighting up again as if the interruption never took place. "So other than my birthday, I was surprised by another wonderful thing, and I am _so_ proud to announce it to all of you today." Here, the boy suddenly grinned so wide it actually threatened to split his face in half. "Mark this day as the day my adorable baby sister Kagami," He proudly gestured to the embarrassed looking baby still in their confused parents' arms, "finally said her Very. First. Word!"

Silence answered his announcement, which was promptly broken by Chikage squealing so loudly it shattered everyone's eardrums. She immediately crushed her daughter in a hug as her husband just blinked in shock beside her. "Did she _really_?! After months of being silent? She _really_ -?!"

"Yep!" Kaito still couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "Loud and clear!"

"Well?" Toichi now broke into a grin as well. "What did she say?"

"Yeah, don't leave us hanging!" Aoko's voice yelled yet again from among the crowd, before being followed by all the guests' prompts and urges and shouts. Just as they thought Kaito's grin couldn't get any wider, it broke the laws of all things holy and did just that. "She said my name!"

The crowd politely burst in applause and congratulations and cheers as he got back down from the stage, all genuinely happy for the family. Chikage is still crushing her daughter into a hug, with the two males of the family now joining. The girl looked embarrassed, but smiled at the joy her accomplishment is causing.

It had been her first attempt to speak after months of being mute, and it's all because Kaito had been planning on going downstairs at the wrong time and she really needed him to stay upstairs for the surprise. She ran out of options then, and the only thing remaining is to do something that will shock him and keep him occupied a few minutes more. Speaking is the solution, and she's kind of glad she did that instead of the other option of pretending she's hurt and worrying Kaito needlessly.

Something in the crowd suddenly caught her eye, immediately breaking her away from her thoughts. There's a person carefully weaving and passing through the mob of guests, face hidden but looking somewhat familiar and suspicious. Unfortunately, with her low position from her mother's arms, she kept getting blocked by the crowd so she can't exactly see the figure clearly. But Kagami was still alerted, and that was enough to trigger her poker face.

She had been practicing on donning it when faced with an unexpected situation as a precaution, and she's very glad she did, because there's no telling just who this person really is until he/she is close enough, and that's something she doesn't want unless she actually recognized the person as safe. Knowing the future can do that to you, because who knows where Snake is this early in the timeline. Even Kagami can't know that, because it's not exactly mentioned in the series.

To her surprise, the person suddenly split in two, immediately revealing that there are _two_ people looking determined to head on straight towards them. She still can't see them clearly though, which just made the situation worst. Thinking fast, Kagami wailed, trying to catch the attention of her family before those people reached them. Friend or not, it can't hurt to be prepared.

Thankfully, her noise immediately caught the trio's attention, who turned and regarded her in confusion. Seeing this, she continued to stare at the figures and sure enough, the three caught on and they stared as well. Good thing too, because they can see who it was more clearly and if Toichi and Chikage recognized that they are dangerous, they will surely flee.

To her slight puzzlement and relief, her parents didn't look alarmed. In fact, they even relaxed and went closer. A few seconds later, she finally saw and recognized the people who alerted her so much. And damn if they aren't familiar.

"Happy birthday, Kaito-chan!" A lady who was unmistakably Kudo Yukiko chirped happily. Kaito, who clearly recognized her, immediately thanked her and produced a red rose, which Yukiko instantly accepted. Kagami just stared though, recognizing the long, curly brown hair, the sexy body fit for a famous actress, and that cheerful and outgoing attitude every viewer of Detective Conan know and loved. And she knew this is _definitely_ her, because that is undeniably Kudo Yuusaku who was approaching right behind her. "And how are you Chikage-chan, Toichi-sensei?" Yukiko asked.

"We're fine. Elated actually, what with Kaito's birthday and Kagami's first word, all in one day…" Chikage sighed happily, looking so proud and with no traces of nervousness and unease in her face. In fact, her expression is not wavering at all at the sight of the famous and extremely perceptive detective right behind Yukiko. Toichi was also smiling happily at them with no traces of worry at the threat of being discovered for his nighttime activities, making Kagami feel extremely amazed at the audacity of these two. Here is an exceptionally intelligent and sharp detective who can probably expose them for who they really are with enough evidence and something as outrageous as a toothpick or two no sweat, and they have the nerve to invite him at their son's birthday party _at their own house_?!

"And how about you Yukiko-chan, Yuusaku-san?" Chikage continued, oblivious to her daughter's thoughts. "Everything alright with your son? I heard he's becoming quite the detective himself."

"Oh yes," Here, Yukiko giggled, unaware of how uncomfortable Kagami is feeling at the mention of her son Kudo Shinichi. "Shin-chan's really taking after his father. Poking around at those cases and puzzles… while I support his dream, I would still feel better if he decided to become an actor instead of getting involved with that highly dangerous activity!"

"Now, now Yukiko," Yuusaku finally spoke, shooting his wife an amused smile. "Let Shinichi do what he wants. You _know_ he enjoys detective work and couldn't care less for acting." Catching Yukiko's sudden glare, Yuusaku quickly added, "Not that acting's a bad thing, per se."

Yukiko then sighed wearily, making it obvious that they already had this conversation a hundred times in the past. "Well, with an idol like Sherlock Holmes, his future's pretty obvious. But enough about Shin-chan!" The famous actress suddenly beamed, catching both Kaito and Kagami off-guard with the abrupt subject change. "After Kaito-chan's announcement earlier, I felt I just _had_ to congratulate Kagami-chan and all of you personally for a job well done! A baby's firsts is always exciting!"

"Yes, definitely! After being silent for almost a year, I was beginning to think she was mute. Maybe it _was_ just a side-effect for too early motor skills..." Chikage mused absently.

And the cheery girl talk continued on. Meanwhile, the males are also conversing, although more serious and more silent than their wives. Kagami strained to tune out the women's talk and focus on the men's, who undoubtedly has the interesting conversation.

"…advise you to be careful Toichi. There's no telling what might happen." Yuusaku was saying, voice so quiet even Kaito can't hear them.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I still don't know what you're talking about?" Toichi said in a mildly exasperated tone. "Why should I be careful?"

Yuusaku then smiled calmly, though Toichi still looks genuinely confused. If Kagami didn't know that her father is the KID, she would've been convinced that he honestly didn't know what Yuusaku was talking about. "Just be alert." He said simply, before turning to his wife, "Let's go Yukiko. Happy birthday Kaito-kun, and congratulations Chikage-kun, Toichi, Kagami-kun." Yuusaku's eyes slid from her brother, then her mother and father, before finally settling on Kagami. She tried desperately to not visibly sweat and look as baby-like as possible, poker face stretched to the extreme. To her horror, she saw Yuusaku's gaze sharpen momentarily, before finally acknowledging her mother and father's goodbyes and left, though Kagami could still feel that unnerving gaze until they finally disappeared from view.

God, that was positively terrifying!

The Kuroba family then proceeded to endure the various congratulations and greetings a few moments later, Kaito getting the most attention of them all. To Kagami's amusement, he just seemed to preen visibly and thanked all of them with a gentlemanly bow, with the exception of Aoko, who he just teased normally; obviously taking advantage of the fact that she won't take revenge because it's his birthday. All the while, Kagami was secretly glad Vermouth as Sharon Vineyard was not part of the guests like the Kudos, because her heart just can't take on anything as terrifying as her at the moment. Yuusaku's more than enough.

An hour later, after practically everyone went and spoke to them, they finally got a moment to themselves. Kaito slumped on a chair in exhaustion while Chikage set Kagami down on a high chair before flexing her tired arms. After a blissful silence, Toichi suddenly leaned in and sent a tired grin at Kaito's direction, "Well, with this surprise party and that unexpected surprise announcement about Kagami, I'm beginning to wonder if you'll even need _my_ surprise anymore." Toichi teased.

At this, Kaito's head immediately swiveled around so fast it left an after-image. He knew his father's surprises are usually the best, so it's no wonder he's visibly vibrating in excitement right now. "What? Where? What is it?!"

His father laughed in amusement, ruffling Kaito's hair so hard it was beginning to look worse than its usual bird's nest. "It's. A. Surprise!"

Kaito immediately grumbled in disappointment and batted Toichi's hand away. He quickly took his sister from the high chair and stuck his tongue at the two playfully. "Let's just go eat cake Mi-chan, else I won't be able to contain my curiosity any longer."

"Keep your brother occupied Kagami!" Their parents laughed and waved as they trudged away at the direction of the table. Kaito muttered something unintelligible under his breath as he placed his sister down on a high chair and proceeded to stare at the chocolatey cake with its chocolatey goodness and chocolatey bits...

"Kai~to." That voice! Kaito stared at his sister who was silently gazing at the cake which he'd been holding for about two minutes now.

Oh.

"Gomen, gomen!" Kaito scratched his head sheepishly, "I forgot you're waiting for this. It's just that… I really _really_ like chocolate!" He finally admitted.

"Like? You're _obsessed_ with chocolate!" Aoko grinned evilly as she walked by. Kaito just stuck his tongue out behind her retreating back and winked at Kagami, "Ignore Ahoko, she's crazy."

" _I heard that!"_

"You're meant to!"

"By the way…" Aoko backtracked, still smiling wickedly. "You remember your father's surprise? Turns out I know what it is."

" _Naniiii?!"_ Kaito gaped in disbelief as Aoko skipped merrily away again. "How did you know?! Why did he tell you!?"

"Figure it out yourself!"

"Tch!" Kaito grumbled as he set a plate with a slice of cake down in front of his sister, before collapsing beside her with an even bigger slice. "Just watch her face when I find out what that surprise is…"

Kaito glanced at his sister's silent form. "Don't suppose you know what it is, huh?"

No reply.

"Figures." He sighed heavily and just munched on his lovely cake. He failed to notice as Kagami just continued to stare at his cake with unreadable eyes, the number '9' signifying his age slowly filling her with alarm and unease.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

"Here we are!" Toichi finally announced after a long car ride, instantly receiving sighs of relief from everyone inside the car. Toichi had taken them all to his surprise, with Kaito blindfolded the whole way. The result was an extremely noisy Kaito trying to wheedle out information endlessly from his parents about the surprise, with Aoko adding a few choice words that made the car even noisier than before.

"Thank god for that!" Chikage groaned dramatically as she got out of the car in relief. "I'll go _crazy_ if I have to listen to those two for one more second!"

Said two are still glaring daggers (in Aoko's case) and sticking tongues out (Kaito's case) at each other, with baby Kagami (who's looking completely exasperated) in the middle of it all.

"Well," Toichi raised an eyebrow at the children. "If you're not in the mood for the surprise, then I guess we'll just head back home…"

"NO!" Both Kaito and Aoko suddenly screamed, effectively startling the baby between them.

"Can I take the blindfold off _now_?" Kaito whined. Toichi amusedly agreed and they all watched in anticipation as Kaito scrambled to take off the offending cloth. Eyes free at last, the birthday boy blinked before finally taking in the sight of the amusement park before him, the huge and noisy crowd pushing at the gates demanding to be let in, the TV cameras and the gigantic screen showing just how many people are already inside LIVE, and many more. But what caught his eye the most is the huge banner hanging right above the crowd's heads.

"' **Kuroba** **Toichi's Escape Plan'**?" Kaito read, his eyes immediately widening in realization. That's the moment he finally noticed his father's attire: the black suit and bowtie he typically uses for performing. He gaped comically.

Meanwhile, Kagami frowned in thought as she also read the banner. There's something odd about that. It's like she already heard it somewhere before…

"Y-You mean…" Kaito was still gaping, "You mean you're going to let me watch this trick? The trick you've been planning for months? The trick you've been practicing day and night because you told me it was so hard and dangerous? The trick I've been _begging_ you to let me watch because it's going to be the coolest thing ever? _That_ trick?"

 _Come to think of it, maybe_ that's _where she heard it._

Toichi just looked amused. "Yes, _that_ trick. And it just so happens that I'm ready for it now, on the day of your birthday." Toichi then offered his hand, "Well then, shall we?"

Kaito looked positively _glowing_ in excitement as his trembling hand held his father's in a death grip. "This is gonna be so _cool_ …!"

On the other hand, Kagami is still staring in trepidation at the huge banner fluttering in the wind above their heads from her mother's arms, knowing that there's something important that she should know but couldn't for the life of her remember…


	10. Chapter Nine

**...**

 **Chapter Nine**

 **...**

"Toichi-sama!" A man suddenly called and halted the advance of the group who just entered the amusement park. He bowed, "Everything is ready, they are only waiting for you to take the stage."

"Thank you Jii." Toichi nodded before suddenly smiling and turning to Kaito and Kagami. "That reminds me, I don't believe you've met my daughter yet?"

"Not yet, only Kaito-botchama." Jii turned to Kagami who suddenly found herself staring straight to the eyes of the Kaitou KID's assistant. She took note of the greying hair, bald spot, the glasses, all of the traits one can expect of Konosuke Jii. Only difference is that he looks far younger than in the anime. "This must be Kagami-ojousama." His eyes flickered to Chikage before settling back on her. "She and Okusama look very much alike."

Kagami just stared blankly at that comment. She has yet to see herself in a mirror so suddenly finding out what she really looks like here is a bit surprising. Toichi on the other hand, barked out a laugh while Chikage grinned hugely. "Seems fair that she got my looks. Kai-chan looks too much like his father anyways!"

Kaito pouted, "I hope you meant that as a compliment."

Aoko snorted, "I hope not."

"Of course it's a compliment Kaito!" Toichi laughed again as he ruffled his son's hair, "Unless she's implying that we're both unattractive, which I _highly_ doubt is the case."

Chikage rolled her eyes as Kaito burst out laughing. "Still too full of yourself I see..."

On the other hand, Kagami stared thoughtfully at Jii. She knows he's a family friend of the Kurobas and also Kaito's best confidant in his days as the Kid, but what would happen if she suddenly entered the picture?

Mind made up, Kagami caught their attention by reaching both of her hands up at the old man's face, smiling eagerly as she did so. "Jii! Jii~! Uppie~!"

Everyone stared at her at the same time as Jii froze. Kagami's smile instantly became fixed at the unexpected reactions. She faintly wondered what got everyone so worked up, it's not as if it's the first time she let herself be carried by a 'stranger'!

Her questions only doubled though, at the sight of Jii's suddenly brilliant smile and Toichi shaking his head a bit in amusement and fondness. "It's okay Jii, hold her."

Jii's smile only widened when Kagami was finally placed in his arms. His hold is gentle but strong and surprisingly, _very_ comfortable.

Toichi finally answered her unspoken question, "Jii has never been able to hold Kaito when he was a baby. Not since Kaito rejected his request to carry him and threw a horrible tantrum. Kagami offering to let him carry her just made his day."

Kaito's jaw dropped a bit as he stared at the assistant who looked embarrassed at the information. "I _what_?! How _could_ I!? You're one of the kindest people I know!" He insisted.

Kagami could swear she saw Jii's eyes tear up a bit at the proclamation, so she reached up a hand to his cheek and shook her head. "N-No cwy. Jii kind!" She declared.

This time, she was fairly certain she heard Jii's heart break into pieces at _that_ heartwarming statement. But what she said _is_ true though. Jii is a good person from what she has seen, and also one of the most loyal people ever if he can be an assistant to an infamous jewel thief and not selling them out. It only makes sense to express her appreciation now where he could hear it.

"Kagami-ojousama is too kind!" Jii sobbed as he hugged her to him. Kuroba Toichi must be _really_ precious to Jii if he felt _that_ affectionate to his daughter and son. Kagami only smiled and laid her head on the shoulder of the older man and closed her eyes comfortably, knowing that she's the only chance the old man has of ever carrying one of Toichi's children and she must let him savor the moment.

It all came to a shuddering halt though, when Kagami opened her eyes and caught a flash of black in the sea of people behind Jii. Her eyes unconsciously followed the figure inconspicuously moving through the crowds, taking note of the black overcoat... the black hat...

Her eyes widened.

Jii felt his master's daughter's body suddenly freeze rigidly and he shot her a worried look, but she paid him no mind. Her eyes are currently busy darting from person to person, realization setting in when she noticed about three people in black in her frantic search. She spotted them positioned far enough away from each other, but it's obvious they're all in this together since they all wear black coats and hats. The trademark of a certain organization here in the DC World...

A sudden jolt of movement and she's suddenly airborne. She let loose a yelp in surprise before she was settled yet again in her mother's arms. She immediately yelled and struggled to get out of her mother's hold, desperate to get back to Jii's arms to take a better look. _She still has to find out if it's really Them!_

"Whoa, Kagami-chan! What's wrong?" Chikage looked at her in concern, which immediately caught the attention of Toichi and Jii. Kagami barely noticed though, her eyes still frantically trying to keep the men in black in sight. _What are they doing here? Conan's not here, is he? What reason do they have to come-_

Kagami immediately felt her thrashing body freeze, making her mother stumble in shock at the sudden lack of movement. The realization made her pale and her mind to go in overdrive. _Are they_ _actually_ _here_... _for_ us _?_

Her eyes abruptly glanced back to a particular banner still waving above...

 **.**

 ** _~'Kuroba Toichi's Escape Plan'~_**

 ** _._**

 _Escape plan... amusement park... roller coaster... fire everywhere... Toichi..._ ** _dead_** _..._

"What's wrong with her?!" Chikage cried as she stared at her daughter's rapidly paling face. Toichi looked terribly worried as he leaned in to take a better look at her. She looked like she is staring at something behind Ji-

"PA-PA!" Kagami suddenly launched herself towards Toichi's arms, startling everyone around. Chikage almost let go of her in surprise, though Toichi thankfully relieved her of their troubled daughter by carrying her himself. He gazed at her with worried eyes, "What's wrong Kagami? What's going on?"

"B-B-Bwack g-gus!" To her horror, everything came out in stutters. Her tongue felt so heavy and unused, and she's starting to realize that maybe staying mute all this time to avoid suspicion is a huge mistake.

"What?" Toichi looked terribly confused, "' _Black goose_ '?"

"B-Bwack m-m-mens... b-baddies!" She insisted, trying to get her tongue to cooperate with her because _damn it_ , this is the day! The day she dreaded ever since she was literally born in this world! For good measure, she pointed at the place she saw the black-coated man last.

To her horror, the man disappeared through the crowds just as Toichi's head turned to look. Her father then turned back at her with barely concealed worry and slight suspicion after finding nothing, probably wondering just what in the world is wrong with her. Kagami just looked back in dread, thinking that maybe this world actually _wants_ Toichi to die today?

"Maybe the crowd's just getting to her Tou-san?" Kaito suggested, though his worried eyes never left his sister's face. Toichi reluctantly nodded, and was about to open his mouth to say something, when...

"Toichi-san!" One of the staff of the amusement park suddenly appeared from the crowd and waved frantically, "It's time to prepare, the people are getting impatient!"

Toichi looked torn, "But I... alright, I'll be right there."

 _No!_ Kagami's grip tightened around her father's clothes, unwilling to let go and most probably lose him. Toichi stared at her in shock and he halfheartedly attempted to pry her hands off, but she held on tight. "Kagami, just what is the matter with you?"

 _You're going to die... you're going to die... you're going to die..._ "T-T-Twicks b-baddie!" She blabbed, desperately trying to get her tongue under control. "Cowsters d-dan-dange-" _damn it!_ "U-Unsafes!" She amended, completely replacing the word 'dangerous'.

Toichi's grip on her is becoming tighter and tighter with each word, and he's now looking at her with clear suspicion. Chikage glanced at the both of them in confusion, "Did she just say ' _coaster_ '? Just where did she pick up those words Toichi?"

"I don't know." Kagami felt like she was being x-rayed judging by the stare Toichi's sending her.

"Toichi-san, it's time to go!" The staff yelled again, tone more demanding now.

"Toichi-sama!" Jii gazed at us in worry.

Kagami took one look at Toichi's face and knew instantly that she ran out of time. "Pwease..." She started to tear up, " _D-Don g-go..."_

Toichi stayed silent for a moment, his face blank and unreadable. Kagami gazed up at him in slight hope, praying that he somehow made sense of her words and took it to heart...

"I have to go Kagami," Toichi stated, and Kagami felt her heart immediately crumble. "But I'll be careful. Coasters are not really dangerous, they just look like it." His light tone didn't match his serious face, and Kagami instantly knew he probably figured out what she was saying.

 _Black men, bad. Coaster unsafe. Don't go._

Kagami reluctantly parted with him, Toichi gently setting her in Chikage's arms. He patted her head and sent her a reassuring smile, but his eyes are serious. He then faced Kaito and knelt in front of him, smiling genuinely as he did so. "Happy Birthday Kaito."

Kaito's face lit up. "Arigatou, otou-san!"

Their father nodded before standing again. He let himself get dragged away by Jii and the staff, but his eyes never left Kagami's own terrified ones.

 _Don't go..._

"Come Kaito, Aoko-chan. Let us find a seat." Chikage murmured, her eyes uncharacteristically solemn. "Let's get Kagami-chan away from the crowd."

Kaito gazed at her in worry, "But what's wrong with her?"

"We'll find out when we get there, now come."

Throughout it all, Kagami paid them no mind, her eyes still staring at the last place she saw her father.

 _Please be safe..._


	11. Chapter Ten

**...**

 **Chapter Ten**

 **...**

Toichi's masks are all up, his poker face stretched to the extreme. To the outside, he looks both happy and excited, but he felt anything but. His thoughts are still flashing back to what happened just now...

He was fairly sure his daughter knows more than she let on. The color black never bothered her before, so why did it bother her now? And saying that black is 'bad' is just highly suspicious. And what was the deal with the coaster?

"Toichi-sama?" Jii looked concerned. His old friend always _did_ know whenever Toichi wears his poker face. He always claims he looks closed off even though he acts out other emotions as a mask. Such is the case with such a close friend who knows all his secrets...

But maybe he can provide his opinion. He _was_ there after all, "What do you think happened to Kagami earlier, Jii?"

At the mention of his daughter, Jii looked a cross between happy and serious. Not an easy combination. "I can instantly tell that your daughter Kagami-ojousama is a very bright child. Probably much brighter than Kaito-botchama was in her age. What happened earlier... I think she really understands what she said."

 _She understands what she said..._ Toichi _did_ know that his daughter is highly unusual and incredibly smart for her age. Her wide vocabulary just earlier when she hasn't had much time to speak yet is just evidence of it. But even so... "Kagami is barely a year old Jii. There's absolutely _no_ reason for her to know anything. Kaito can barely think for himself at that age!" Toichi sighed in frustration. "Even if Chikage and I somehow produced an incredibly genius child, this is entirely something else."

Jii gazed at him sadly, before slowly saying, "I hate to say this, but Kagami-ojousama is not the problem right now Toichi-sama."

Toichi paused, and then abruptly realized his thoughts are getting away from him again. He shook his head slightly, "You're right. Right now, we have to worry about _Them_ first." He was tempted to put his fingers under his chin as he was thinking, 'Yuusaku Style', but restrained himself. "She said 'black men' are 'bad'. Do you think she's saying what I think she's saying?"

"The only people we know that is both 'black' and 'bad' is _Them_." Jii said solemnly, "Assuming Kagami-ojousama truly knows and understands what she is saying, then I think _They_ are here."

It was only Toichi's presence of mind and poker face that kept him from stumbling in surprise and reacting at _that_ declaration. "How can _They_ be here?" He murmured so that only Jii could hear as he continued to walk smoothly through the crowd. " _They_ only know the Kaitou KID. Did _They_ find out who I really am? But I've been so careful...

"There's no other reason for _Them_ to come here except for me." Toichi finished. "We rented this amusement park for a day, I'm the center of the show. Which means _They_ DID come for me." He frowned almost imperceptibly, which made Jii tense up slightly. "But how did Kagami know who they are?"

Jii's eyes are flickering at the crowd, trying to catch a hint of black. "Perhaps you spoke about _Them_ around her?"

Toichi nearly sent a glare at his companion at that comment, "Do you take me for a fool?" His tone hardened. "I do not make mistakes like that. I've never casually mentioned _Them_ around my family, even if it's just Chikage and me. _I don't want them to be put in danger_."

"I apologize, Toichi-sama." Jii murmured gravely. "But what other reason does she have to know about _Them_?"

Toichi just kept walking. _I've never mentioned Them around my family, and_ certainly _not around Kagami._

 _Just where did she find out?_

"Toichi-san, just in there." One of the staff, gestured to the platform where the roller coaster is waiting. "The TV cameras will roll in about five minutes. The rest will be up to you." He bowed and grinned excitedly. "Good luck Toichi-san!"

Toichi inclined his head. "Thank you."

"What are we going to do now, Toichi-sama?" Jii muttered nervously. "Kagami-ojousama said that _They_ are here, if that _is_ what she meant. She also stated that 'coasters' are 'unsafe', which meant something is going to happen to the ride." He looked at him with troubled eyes. "Please cancel the show Toichi-sama!"

Toichi just stood rigidly, eyes taking in everything about the ride. The tubular supports that are used to hold up the track are not tampered with, so the ride will not fall. Same with the welded round steel tubes. He moved closer and inspected the ride inside. No bomb that can damage the ride and kill him. The wheels outside look normal as well. All in all, it's a perfectly normal roller coaster.

But he's still not content with that. "Jii, go to the control panel. Check the brakes, blocks, sensors, everything. I want to be absolutely sure."

Jii needed no more prompting. He bowed low. "Hai, Toichi-sama."

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

"What's really the matter Kagami-chan?" Chikage faced her daughter who looked too focused on the roller coaster to do anything else. She can just see Toichi and Jii talking to each other inconspicuously in front of the ride, their conversation unheard over the cheers of the crowd, though Chikage suspects they won't be able to hear the two of them even if the crowd is quiet, because both looked like they're just mumbling the words to avoid being heard.

She saw Kagami glance at her, concern in her bright indigo eyes, before focusing yet again at the pair by the ride. Kaito and Aoko is staring at the two of them in confusion but she knew they definitely understand that there is something so very _wrong_ in the situation. Something Chikage can barely put a finger to...

"C-Contwols..." Kagami suddenly muttered, surprising Chikage at how serious her voice sounded. Her daughter suddenly turned to her, and Chikage vaguely noticed Jii leaving her husband to head to the coaster's control panel. "Ma-ma, wet's g-go! Jii!" She pointed frantically to the old man rushing to the panels. "Ma-ma!"

"Go to Jii?" Chikage reluctantly translated, and Kagami's nod confirmed her thoughts. Besides, it's time to find out what exactly she's panicking about. "Okay, let's go. Come Kaito, Aoko-chan."

Her poor son looked so incredibly perplexed at the situation as he got dragged to where Jii was, probably wondering why they're all acting so hectic in his birthday. Aoko's trailing after them silently though, the poor girl looking so lost and worried.

She just hopes that all will become clear when they finally get there...

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

"The cameras are rolling sir. We'll start whenever you're ready." One of the staff informed him before ducking out of the way from the camera's view. Toichi stared after him for a moment before taking a quick glance at Jii who is still heading towards the control booth. A sense of foreboding filled him, and he felt nervous about this whole thing, which is odd because he's the type that is used to crowds and cameras, both in his day and night jobs.

The stares of the audience resolved his inner conflict however, and he finally turned to smile at them all, poker face firmly in place and betraying no sign of his anxiety. He willed his body to relax, before taking the microphone a member of the staff handed to him.

 _"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!"_

Loud cheers answered his call as he successfully gathered the attention of the crowd to himself. He bowed and basked in the warmth of their welcome, his eyes all the while are keenly searching and scouring the audience for men wearing black.

Without missing a beat, he straightened from his bow smoothly before speaking again, his voice steady and not betraying the slight jolt of fear he felt as he caught sight of a man wearing a black overcoat and hat among the audience. If he's not searching for _Them_ , Toichi would have missed him. "My name is Kuroba Toichi, and I thank you all for coming here today to witness pure and unaltered..." He swiftly extended a gloved palm, before covering it. A loud _pop!_ and a puff of smoke and a beautiful dove suddenly appeared before quickly flying away. "... _Magic_."

The people burst in polite applause as he quickly started on some opening tricks, his hands moving swiftly and effectively catching his audience's attention, all the while his own eyes are scanning the crowd and quickly catching out four... six... _eight_ men in black.

He felt his eyes widen almost imperceptibly though he kept smiling, all the while his hands are moving automatically, too trained in magic tricks to do anything else. His thoughts are a huge mess as he observed the eight men trying to keep out of sight of the stage and therefore, _his_ line of sight.

 _What are they doing here...?_

"And now, I need two volunteers!"

 _Did they actually discover who I am...?_

"Thank you miss. Now, I'm going to have to ask you to stand over here..."

 _My wife and children are here!_

"Now I have to ask you to start patting and inspecting your clothes... the audience can help too..."

 _It's Kaito's birthday!_

"... and can you guess where I put the ball, sir?"

 _They can't be involved!_

He almost felt his hands freeze, before he forced them into moving again, a smile still plastered to his face as he said his directions to the two volunteers.

How could they come here, and on Kaito's birthday, no less. He needs to get them out of here!

Taking note of the last place he saw the eight men, he started scouring the crowds for his family this time. The audience gasped as he pulled out five balls from all over the volunteer man's body and clothes, the volunteer girl staring in surprise because she was sure she put the balls in the bag and that there are no balls on the man's body earlier when they inspected it. Toichi bowed deeply as the applause rang out again, his eyes desperately searching for Chikage and the kids...

 _There!_ Toichi zeroed in on the path to the control booth, finding not just Chikage and the children, but Jii also. They all looked like they're hurrying to get there, judging by the disgruntled people being shoved out of their way. Toichi frowned internally as he thought of what the reason may be to make them hurry like that. Did they find something...?

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

"Okusama, _They_ are here." Jii murmured so that only they can hear. Fortunately for Kagami, she's still being carried by her mother so she heard the whole thing. "Toichi-sama told me to inspect the ride's controls to see if there's anything unusual."

Chikage immediately quickened her walk through the crowds, with Jii and the children all trailing behind her. "You're absolutely _sure_?" Her voice sounded hard and ice cold, making Kagami shiver against her hold.

"Hai, okusama." Jii acknowledged with a grave nod. "I saw one of them on my way here myself."

"Then why didn't he cancel the show?!" Chikage sounded completely murderous now and Kagami whipped her head around to look at the stage in horror. Her father is still there, performing and talking to the crowd without a hitch, though Kagami is sure that Toichi _definitely_ noticed the men right about now and is tensed about it.

His poker face is definitely _really_ good if he can still perform like that under pressure and the immediate threat of death.

" _That idiot_!" Chikage snarled under her breath, though it's obvious that she's trying her best to look calm for the two children who are still following them around nervously.

"What's going on Kaa-san?" Kaito asked in slight trepidation. "Is something wrong?"

 _I'm so sorry Kaito..._ Kagami gazed sadly at her brother, who looked innocently clueless at what's possibly going to happen. _This is all my fault. If only I remembered immediately, then we could've canceled and Toichi might not possibly die!_

"No, nothing's wrong Kai-chan!" Chikage flashed him a fixed smile. "Listen, can you two go back up to the seats and wait for us there? Kaa-san just has something to do first."

Kaito looked ready to protest, "But I-!"

" _Now_ Kaito." Her tone sent shivers up everyone's spine.

Kaito's jaw immediately snapped back into place in surprise. He looked dejected and scared. "H-Hai."

"And take Kagami-chan with you." Chikage said, proceeding to hand over Kagami herself...

 _NO!_

Kagami immediately latched onto Chikage's neck just as she was about to hand her over to her brother and tried to grab some handfuls of her clothes into her pudgy hands. No! She absolutely _refuse_ to go! Not when she can still do something! Her warning earlier made sure that her parents and Jii knew what's going on, she may still be able to give some help!

Internally though, Kagami wondered just how the events in the DC anime occurred with her not there. Would Toichi still notice the men in black? Would he know to inspect the ride and the controls? What happened there that can be changed for the better now?

"Kagami, go to your brother." Chikage's voice was serious and stern, but this is no time to argue, Kagami absolutely _have_ to come!

"NO!" She screamed, "Me goes! Pa-pa unsafes!" She made sure to glare with all her might at her mother, trying to send the message that she knows what is going on, damn it! _Don't keep me away!_

Chikage looked absolutely shocked at her declaration. Jii and the two children are watching the exchange with wide eyes, though none of them tried to interfere. Kagami could still hear her father's voice from the stage, still performing and still talking like nothing's wrong. Kagami just hopes it will continue that way.

She watched as her mother pursed her lips, eyes now with something akin to suspicion. Thankfully, Jii came to the rescue before she took any longer in deciding. "Oku-sama, there's no more time!"

That snapped her out of it. She quickly turned to the two kids just as she situated Kagami properly in her arms, "Go back to the seats Kaito, Aoko. We'll be back soon. Don't even think about leaving to follow us."

The two didn't think twice. They both nodded before turning back the way they came from. Chikage immediately started off again, nearly knocking Jii back with her urgency. Meanwhile, Kagami thanked all her lucky stars that Chikage allowed her to go. But the danger's not over yet.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

"Toichi-san, the ride's ready. It's time for your last trick."

Toichi acknowledged the warnings with a nod, while his eyes immediately darted back to the control booth, where Jii, Chikage... ( _and is that Kagami?!)_ were just about to reach it _. Why is Jii taking so long?_

"And now, it's finally time to perform my last trick for the day. Minna-san," He gracefully bowed, "I hope you all enjoy."

A hearty applause answered his announcement, and he caught the eight men suddenly move. So _this_ is what they're waiting for. What have they got up their sleeve? He already checked the ride, 9no sign of tampering on the cars. Though he couldn't be sure about the tracks, but he doubts even _They_ can set something high up without being seen by anyone, as the amusement park is always filled with people.

The staff and his assistants started helping to wrap him up in chains. This was to be his trick dedicated for Kaito's birthday, and he was going to announce it as such. But now that _They_ are here, he couldn't draw attention to his son. And his daughter, for that matter. Not ever. He'll keep them safe. He is the Kaitou KID, and he _always_ finds a way.

"Sir, time to sit down. We're going to wrap the chains around your legs now."

Toichi complied, but internally, his thoughts are raging. Jii hasn't contacted him yet, so there's probably no problems about the ride's controls. What then, is the Organization doing here?

He felt the clinking of the chains around him as they wrapped it several times around his body. The crowd is still cheering. The staff of the park are all silent. He felt tense around the chains. A vague sense of foreboding overtook him, and he found himself trying to keep his composure, but he just couldn't shake the dread that he suddenly sensed. _Where is Jii? Is it wrong to continue after all?_

A motorcycle helmet suddenly descended down his head, darkening his vision through the tinted visors. He knew it was just to help him see and protect his head from the obstacle later in the ride, but that doesn't mean he likes it when his vision is so limited.

"You're ready to go sir." Someone informed him before they began leaving the stage. Toichi nodded silently as he stared at the last place he saw Jii and the others. Surely Jii would send him a message whether everything is alright or not?

The assistants and staff are still leaving around him, but Toichi paid them no mind. That is, until someone passed by and murmured something, the sound almost drowned out by the audience's cheers...

Toichi's eyes abruptly widened and his head whipped around-

And suddenly, all the assistants are gone, leaving him all alone and feeling completely shaken on the stage.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

"The brakes are not tampered with, as far as I can see. Not even the sensors. Though we can still check the speed. Jii, do you know how to operate this?" Chikage gestured to the screen in the panel which still looks complicated enough even to her standards.

"I do." Jii immediately tapped the screen and scrolled through the commands, with Chikage double-checking over his shoulder. Kagami was still clutched to her mother's chest, but she wasn't watching the controls, she was watching her father. She saw him being wrapped up in chains, she saw him seated on the coaster, and she saw his head turn around before staring straight ahead again. Only this time, to the trained eye; he looks tense.

 _"And now, Kuroba Toichi, Japan's Master of Illusions, will finally start his last trick! He is going to try escaping from a roller coaster moving at about 120 miles per hour while heavily chained to the seats. All the while passing through a flaming tunnel! CAN HE DO IT?!"_

Cheers answered the announcer's voice as the audience clamored to get a good view at the ride. Toichi looked like he didn't notice.

 _"The assistants are now going to light the tunnel on fire..."_

Said tunnel suddenly exploded in raging flames, and the giant screens all around showing everything made it even more frightening. Kagami's gaze turned fearful.

"PA-PA!" She suddenly heard, only to realize that she yelled it herself. _Oh god oh god oh god..._

"The speed has been tampered with!" Jii suddenly yelled in shock, and Kagami felt her heart freeze in her throat. "It is now 128 miles per hour; not enough time for Toichi-sama to release himself from his bindings!"

"Fix it Jii, FIX IT!"

Chikage suddenly left the control booth and broke into a run, heading straight for the ride. She doesn't seem to notice Kagami's weight in her arms anymore, too frightened as she was by her husband's fate.

Kagami felt completely numb. _This isn't how it was supposed to happen..._

They pushed past the crowds of people watching in excitement.

 _I was supposed to prevent this..._

Chikage knocked over a security guard guarding the gates of the ride.

 _I tried warning him..._

Kaito and Aoko now noticed the ruckus they are creating and stood up, running towards the ride too.

 _No... I didn't do enough..._

The infamous Phantom Lady burst through the locked gates in an incredible but brief display of her lock-picking skills, though Kagami barely noticed.

 _This is all my fault..._

Chikage ran the length of the platform towards Toichi's bound form. At the sound of rapid footsteps, Toichi turned. His eyes widened in shock behind the visor as he saw his family running towards him, their eyes all panicked and afraid.

Kagami didn't hesitate, "PA-PA!"

His eyes widened even more and he glanced at her, clearly astonished.

Meanwhile, Kaito and Aoko finally reached the platform and broke into a run, neither minding the protests and confusion of the guards and the people. Kaito gritted his teeth as he pushed his legs to run faster, leaving Aoko behind. He might not fully understand what is happening, but he knows something is _very_ wrong and it's about his father. And he isn't about to sit back and watch.

" _OTOU-SAN!"_ He screamed.

Toichi's wide eyes now flickered to his son. His son, whose own birthday he can't even see the end of...

He sent a smile.

And then the ride was gone.

Chikage, Kagami, and Kaito all collapsed on the platform floor, feeling numb as they watched their husband and father, respectively, on the screen begin tugging at the chains and locks in an attempt to get himself free, but only _they_ can truly see that it is almost half-hearted at best.

Toichi doesn't plan on leaving.

And so the ride sped past through the flaming tunnel and exploded, and the loud cheers instantly turned into horrified screams...

 **...**


	12. Chapter Eleven

…

 **Chapter Eleven**

…

Kuroba Chikage sat quietly in the dark living room of her home, delicate hands clasped tightly together on top of her lap. Her normally bright purple eyes have clouded to a dull black, the dreary color almost matching the ones in her clothes.

Her gaze didn't remove itself from her clasped hands, not even when the slightest of noises that sounded almost exactly like sobs came from upstairs. Her limbs felt too heavy to move, her head seemed dead set on bowing over her lap like her neck lost the will to hold it up. She felt remarkably like a lifeless mannequin with its strings cut off, left to sit alone with no one to support her forever.

The sounds from upstairs suddenly quietened, but she paid none of it attention. After all, she knew exactly who was the source of those sounds.

At the thought of them, her heart suddenly felt _oh so_ heavy. Her shoulders drooped and her head sunk even lower, her dull eyes _stinging_ from holding them open for so long…

No, that pain is _nothing_. She will hold it open for however long she wants to.

The tell-tale sound of doves crooning mournfully from the next room over passed her ears, as they have been doing for the past few hours. It's as if they _knew_ what had happened, knew what they had _lost_. And she knows they did. After all, _he_ trained them well.

The doves then fell silent, as well as the sounds upstairs, making her painfully aware of how _still_ the house feels now. It used to be a flurry of activity and noise, but now… there are no more muffled sounds of random explosions, no more squawks of annoyed doves after a trick gone wrong, no more noisy magic lessons, _nothing_. The whole house feels strangely cold. Unwelcome. Dead. And the silence her family is now exuding doesn't help matters.

At the thought of her family – her _remaining_ family – a heavy weight dropped on her stomach, causing her to double over in overwhelming grief.

Her children… _oh_ _god_ , her precious children… what is she going to do now? Her two wonderful, beautiful children are all she has left. She can't raise them all alone. Not when she knew that this incident will remain in their minds forever. Even Kagami, her sweet little baby… she'll definitely remember bits and pieces about something so emotionally scarring. And she can't help but think that if Kagami can remember something as horrifying as that, what about Kaito?

As though he heard, a muffled sob suddenly sounded from the room upstairs, making Chikage painfully aware of the state her son is in now. Images of a bright and cheerful Kaito flashed across her mind, now replaced by the blank faced Kaito she saw walking towards his room earlier before closing the door quietly. He won't speak to anyone, won't even visit his sister in the next room over. Aoko can't coax him out of his shell, he won't accept food… and all this with an emotionless face. It is then, she realized, that Kaito has been using the poker face Toichi taught him to its full extent.

His last line of defense.

And Kagami… it's much, _much_ worse than before. She's so _silent_ now. No more occasional sounds and babbles, no more giggles of joy. Not even sobs. There's just this odd, heavy silence. She doesn't try to speak, doesn't move from her crib, nothing. She just stares into space, her gaze oh so terribly vacant. Chikage knew that if she is just able to, Kagami would have probably locked herself in her own room long ago. It's as if she understood what had happened, just like _his_ doves.

And Jii… even if he's not a part of the family, they still cared deeply about him. Jii is one of the only people who knew the truth that her husband was really murdered, not dead because of some faulty magic trick everyone close to Toichi knew he would _never_ make. To see him so depressed and angry… she knew she can't burden him with the responsibility for her two children. For one thing, he's not as young as before. And because of his depression, it might do more harm than good.

And then there's the case of the public. What would the world think if the Kaitou KID suddenly disappears at the same time the magician Kuroba Toichi died? What about Ginzo? Yuusaku's suspicions will also be confirmed when he finally connects the dots with that news. What then? What could she do?

Chikage's throat felt thick and her body felt numb; her eyes are still stinging, but she held them open. They felt strangely dry, a sharp contrast to its state for the past few days. Maybe she ran out of tears left to cry…

Another raw sob sounded from upstairs, making her body collapse inward even more. The clasped hands on her lap tightened so much they started trembling, the heavy feeling in her heart growing so much she can feel her chest constricting and tightening… her breaths coming in so short and quick she felt like she was _drowning_ –

The front door suddenly opened, making her jump so badly her feet banged the underside of the table _hard_. She barely noticed the pain though, when her keen ears picked up on heavy but familiar footsteps, the clicks of switches as the room floods into bright light once more…

She wants to yell out _'NO!'_ She wants to stop him from turning them all on. She wants him to _just get out and to please never bother her again –_

But he won't. She knew he won't. Their old friend's stubborn like that. And she knew he would try to talk to her, but that still doesn't change the fact that she doesn't _want_ to!

The footsteps slowly walked towards her, but she made no move to indicate that she heard him. _Please just leave me alone…_

He was nearing, but she paid him no mind. _Leave, please…_

He ground to a halt just inches from her and stayed there, clearly hesitating. She could almost make out the familiar shoes at the edge of her vision, but her unwavering gaze from her lap picked up no more.

Suddenly he moved again, circling the table between them before sitting down on the couch beside her, his own posture slumped like a heavy weight is on his shoulders. He said nothing, which made Chikage wilt slightly in relief.

That is, until he spoke; his normally gruff voice softened to a mere whisper. "How are you doing, Chikage-kun?"

She didn't answer. She didn't have the strength.

She heard him shift slightly in his seat before speaking again, albeit hesitantly, "Chikage-kun…?"

Her throat felt thick and parched, but she still forced the words out: " _Leave_ , Ginzo-kun."

Decades of being a police officer meant he was exposed to things like this, so her icy tone was easily shrugged off. "I know for a fact that being alone is the last thing you will want." He said understandingly. "Let me help."

At that, her eyes flashed with anger and she teared her eyes away from her lap to glare at him directly, " _Help?_ You can't help me! What can you even _do_?! Can you bring h- _him_ back to life? Can you turn back time!? Can you cat–" Her throat suddenly closed up when she realized what she was about to say.

 _Can you catch the men that murdered him?_

Suddenly feeling hollow, she slumped back to her seat, barely noticing that she had been nose to nose with Ginzo during her whole tirade. She vaguely noted the house had turned quiet. No trace of sobs or croons from any of the rooms. It's as if the whole house was holding its breath, waiting for the tension to break.

She knew that Toichi wouldn't want her to involve Ginzo with their fight against the Organization. It will be too much of a risk. But how can she survive with all these secrets contained inside her? She can't even inform the police of her husband's true cause of death, nor can she inform her children. She'll be bearing the responsibility of this all alone.

Her eyes are stinging again.

"Can I… what?" Ginzo asked after a moment of silence.

Realizing her slip up, she just settled on glaring at him, " _Nothing_." She bit out. "Just get out. _Please_ Ginzo-kun."

"Chikage-kun…" He moved until their eyes met. "I _won't_ leave you." He promised, his extreme confidence making her pause. "Toichi had helped me deal with this long ago. He helped me back on my feet and helped me take care of my remaining family. Now it's time I do the same for you."

At those words, Chikage's eyes widened as realization struck. She watched as Ginzo's hand gripped hers reassuringly, his eyes sad but understanding. He looked nothing like the tough and foul-mouthed police inspector obsessed with Kaitou KID the public always sees. Here in front of her is a man who also lost a dear friend, a man left vulnerable and depressed but still chooses to be her pillar of strength. He truly understands what she's going through right now, because he already experienced it once before when his own _wife_ died. And it hadn't escaped her notice that it had been _Toichi_ himself who had comforted him during those dark times.

"You don't have to talk if you don't really want to." He added, returning to his previous position on the couch. "I'll just keep you company."

But the problem is, now that she realized it, she doesn't want further silence and loneliness after all. Now that she has a companion, someone who actually _understands_ , it's hard to go back to that unbearable, heavy silence. "No I… I-I'll talk…"

He looked momentarily surprised, "It's okay if you don't want to–"

"I _do."_

He went silent for a moment, shifting uneasily (it's clear that he's not used to things like this) before speaking again, "So… h-how are you feeling?"

 _The truth or the response everyone wants to hear?_ "I… It's been o-okay. I've been coping–"

"Don't say it." He immediately cut her off with a glare, and her mouth snapped shut. "I'm not here to be told fake promises. I'm here to offer whatever comfort I can, and I can't do that if you can't answer me honestly." He then took a deep breath, before continuing with a subdued voice. "I lost him too. T-Toichi was a good friend. And the best man I have ever met." The tension then left his body, leaving him looking crushed, so unlike the strong man everyone knew him to be.

Chikage just nodded, unable to speak. The fight slowly left her, along with her poker face, making her feel vulnerable for the first time in years. It'll be an insult to hide from Ginzo, especially when he's doing his best to help.

Her eyes stung, and she realized that she hasn't even blinked yet. She hurriedly did just that, and surprised herself when she felt something wet trail down her cheeks. Ginzo just glanced at her silently, before offering her a handkerchief. She took it gratefully but did nothing to stop the tears from falling. Once she started, she found that she could hardly stop.

…

"H-How is Aoko-c-chan?" She whispered, an obvious attempt to fill the sudden silence.

She watched as Ginzo closed his eyes, the reminder of his daughter's state surfacing his mind again. "She's been so silent these past few days. Refuses to eat unless I force her. Locks herself in her room all day."

At that news, Chikage turned to look at him with guilt, "I'm s-sorry we took her that day. If we hadn't done that, then she wouldn't have to witness–"

"Chikage-kun," Ginzo cut her off for the second time that day. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known it would happen. None of us expected something to go wrong. None of us expected Toichi to d- _die_ …" He choked on the words, and Chikage felt her throat close up again. "…so it's okay." He then glanced at the stairs leading up, before turning to her again, "What about Kaito-kun? Kagami-kun?"

The reminder of her suffering son and daughter upstairs just made her feel even guiltier. "Wouldn't talk to anyone. Wouldn't leave his room. Cries until he falls asleep. Same with Kagami." She bowed her head in shame, "I don't know what to do Ginzo-kun… how can I comfort them when I can't even comfort myself? How can I tell them it's alright when it's clear that it's not? How did you do it Ginzo-kun?" She gazed at him with tearful eyes, "How did you cope with it?"

"I didn't." He answered honestly, the confession making her feel like she has been punched in the gut. "Every day I'm reminded of _her_. Everywhere I look there's traces of her. Even in my own daughter. Aoko's just like a mirror image of her. It's hard to cope when that happens." He sighed, "I guess you just learn to accept it eventually. But I admit that there are times when I find it hard to go home because I knew I'll just be reminded of her presence everywhere. I guess that's why Aoko gets angry with me for always staying late outside." He laughed humorlessly, but Chikage just stayed frozen, her gaze wide.

Nakamori Ginzo – with how strong and tough he presents himself as – hasn't coped with his own wife's death yet, not even after so many years had passed. If _he_ can't do it, then what hope does _she_ have to overcome this?

"Then how did you take care of Aoko-chan all by yourself?" She asked desperately.

He paused and sighed, his eyes glancing at her sadly, "I mostly had help with Toichi." He admitted, "He helped me say the exact words for Aoko to come out of her shell. He helped _me_ stand on my own two feet again. He gave me some advice on how to handle the house and my daughter as a single parent. It was all him."

The cruel irony. Chikage wanted to laugh so much, but feared that if she did, she might never stop. Toichi knew what to do. He _always_ knew. He will definitely know how to handle things if it was _she_ who died. He'll probably comfort Kaito and Kagami with some quick words and move on, all in one day. He can always do the impossible, that man.

It should have been _her_ who died. She was useless. She can't even comfort her own children right! If she had just died and Toichi had survived, then her children would not be in this mess anymore…

"I know that expression. You feel guilty right? Probably thinking about how Toichi can do a better job than you or some other crap?" Ginzo shot her a knowing look, his mouth running with its normal speech yet again (normal being _plenty_ of expletives.) "I would think twice on that Chikage-kun." He stated meaningfully, "Toichi loved you _very_ much. Losing you would be a very hard blow to him, I can assure you. He won't be able to do a better job with this; he'll probably jump off the nearest building or drink himself to death if left alone. To be honest, I think you're doing a better job coping. I know _I_ almost drunk myself to death." He sighed again, "Stop blaming yourself Chikage-kun, and stop thinking about the 'what-ifs'. Toichi wouldn't want you losing yourself like this."

"I just don't know Ginzo-kun…" She confessed honestly, curling in on herself. "I don't know how to forget. I don't know how to take care of my children all alone. I don't know what to _do_."

"Okay first of all, don't _ever_ forget." He gazed at her sternly, his tone firm. "Don't forget all the times you've been together. Don't forget his memory. Don't forget your husband. Forget and it will hurt you a hundred times worse. Instead, learn to live with it. Be happy. He would want that for you. Remember all your happy times, it's okay to be reminded of them. Before you knew it, you have already moved on. And second, I'll help you with Kaito-kun and Kagami-kun. You've always been like a family to me anyways. Besides…" Here, he glanced upstairs with sadness in his eyes, "…Aoko would want someone to talk to."

More tears trailed down her cheeks, but it's not because she's sad. It's because she's _grateful_. "I… T-Thank you… Ginzo-kun."

"Don't mention it." He said, patting her back comfortingly. "I know you need more time. No sane person will get over a loss in just a few days. Just take your time coping, _I'll_ take care of the children."

She'll be a fool to reject an offer like that. She needs all the help she can get. "Thank you..." she repeated.

He waved it off before standing. He turned on a few more lights, brightening the room by a considerable margin, and taking with it some of the heaviness in her heart. She knows it will be a long time before she can stand on her own two feet again, so she thanked all the gods out there for giving her a friend as caring as Nakamori Ginzo.

As if on cue, he turned to her and smiled a bit, waving a pack of raw fish in her direction. _That's_ the moment she noticed the paper bag full of food that he had apparently brought with him when he had visited, which she failed to notice. "I'll just whip something up for all of you. Any suggestions?"

She smiled a bit and stood, her delicate hands snatching the pack of fish from his grip, "Maybe it's better to not use the fish." She said mildly, before picking up a can of chicken soup instead. She waved him to the kitchen, where they proceeded to make soup for Kaito, and a bottle of milk for Kagami.

It may take a very long time for her to move on, maybe she won't be able to do it at all. But just knowing that someone _understands_ , that someone can actually _help..._ then that knowledge is more than enough.


	13. Chapter Twelve

…

 **Chapter Twelve**

 **...**

Kagami pursed her lips determinedly as she began creeping quietly across the room, a blanket in hand. Her bloodshot eyes are wide open and constantly darting around the dark room in a failed attempt to see the way, while her small limbs tried their best to drag her pudgy body towards the direction of the door. Faint sounds from the kitchen drifted their way up to her room, unintentionally letting her know that both adults are obviously trying their best to seem busy after what transpired earlier.

Her hands absently formed into tight, trembling fists as she recalled what happened. Because of the haunting silence in the house, it's almost a given that she will hear the entire conversation between her mother and Nakamori from her room. She knew her mother is absolutely _devastated_ , but to hear about Chikage's worries and grief however indirectly still made her guilt a whole lot worse.

It was her fault. _All_ her fault. They wouldn't have to suffer right now if she had just done her job right. No one should be grieving at all! She was supposed to stop this! After all, isn't that the point of her being sent here?! So then why did it still happen?! Was she even allowed to change things or is her fate destined to just be an observer, unable to do anything to prevent those horrifying events from occurring?

Toichi— No. Her _father's_ death really opened her eyes. She didn't even notice it, but the whole time she was in this world, she considered that all the people here are just characters in a show; fake and easily replaceable. And so she continued acting nonchalant and unconcerned, trusting that she'll know what to do when the time comes. She was unconsciously distancing herself from them and she never even knew! When did she even take the time to get to know them all? To just bond with them and really treat them like they are real people? Never. Instead, she just watched as they went on with their lives, only interacting when it's required for her to. Maybe it's because she's still maintaining the illusion that she won't have to live here long, that she can go back to the real world soon and this will just be a wishful though vivid dream.

Ultimately, it was her father's death that made her realize she was making a _horrible_ mistake.

 _"It's not fair…"_ She whispered, though the sound that came out is just a series of unintelligible babbles, which further emphasized her feelings right now. It's not fair that she only realized this the moment someone she dearly loved had died. It's not fair that she never really bonded and got to know her father the whole time she was here, even when she herself knew that his life in this world is only limited.

Is this Fate's punishment for her selfishness and naiveté? Did Fate really hate her so much that she was brought here just to witness another one of her parents die?

Full of self-hatred and guilt, she almost missed Nakamori-keibu speak, though she still somehow heard and has to admit that hearing those kind, comforting words helped shake her out from her depression, though only slightly.

…

 _"Don't ever forget all the times you've been together. Don't forget his memory. Forget and it will only hurt you a hundred times worse. Instead, learn to live with it. Be happy. He would want that for you. Remember all your happy times, it's okay to be reminded of them. Before you know it, you have already moved on."_

…

She almost laughed. If only it was as simple as that.

But even she can't deny the fact that Nakamori-keibu's words struck deep into her heart and made her remember something long buried within the depths of her mind. Her eyes slid closed as the image of her previous mother burned beneath her eyelids, her heart aching in grief. Even after so many years, she still hasn't moved on from her mother's death. Back then, there had been no guidance, no one to comfort her out of her depression. As a result, the pain is still fresh. And now Toichi, the only one of her two fathers who ever cared about her, also died.

To hear about Nakamori's sincere words, ones that came from someone who had experienced losing a loved one before… she can't deny that it helped a lot. But it still didn't prevent the bitterness forming in her heart, wondering why there hasn't been anyone who even had the courtesy to comfort her back then. Why did Chikage have someone to do it for her now while _she_ didn't?

She was suddenly aware that her thoughts are headed for dangerous territory, so she used up all her strength to focus it somewhere else. Namely, her brother. The conversation downstairs isn't the only thing she can hear in this silent house. She can also hear her brother's pain as clear as day just down the hall. She knew Kaito will take their father's death the hardest even without the help of advanced knowledge about the anime.

Anyone can see how Kaito absolutely adored and loved his father. Because of that, Kagami found it hard to imagine how exactly Kaito got over his father's death when he was just an only child in the series.

 _How did he get over the pain alone?_

She knew it must've been hard. Probably much harder than her own experience with her first mother's death. However, she knew none of that matters now. Because right now, her presence here will change things.

She will never let Kaito suffer the same pain she once did. Not while she's still here to say anything about it.

And so she bottled up all her grief and guilt and proceeded to shove it in one of the deepest, darkest corners of her mind in an effort to calm down. She tried to avoid thinking about it and focused instead on the task ahead of her. Once she can finally control her breathing and tears, she then started to climb her way out of her crib and into the floor towards the door, the goal of reaching Kaito's room firmly in her mind.

From now on, she will do everything she can to get to know everybody. Every single person in this world is real and have _feelings;_ they're not simply characters in a TV show. They can get hurt and die. Everything is really not about her. Just because she has been reincarnated doesn't mean the world revolves around her. It's time to forget the real world as she has no doubt now that she can ever return there. Besides, what could she return to? Her father doesn't care about her anymore and is probably happy that she 'died', she has no friends or even acquaintances. No one would miss her, so shouldn't she focus on the present where she still has a family who loves her?

...Which finally brings her to now.

Thanking her lucky stars for the open door (she does _not_ have the patience to try opening a locked door), Kagami proceeded to crawl out the room and into the halls where she knew Kaito's room was located, which is down at the very end of the hall. Staring slightly wide eyed at the intimidating distance, she quickly shook her head and glared at it, before determinedly starting the long journey.

The scraping of her hands and knees on the hard wood floor was the only thing she could hear for a while as she stubbornly pushed on. The sounds in the kitchen are still at it, which means the adults would still be occupied for a while. Good thing too, because she doesn't need her mother preventing her from trying her best to comfort her older brother, even if she thought it was for the best.

Kaito will _not_ be alone this time around.

After a few minutes of passing by open doors, she absently noticed that she was already right in front of their parents' room. Once warm and inviting, it was now as cold and lifeless as the entire house, if not more so. Gazing at it in guilt, she slowly averted her gaze before determinedly crawling forward, trying hard not to look back, until she finally reached the room at the end of the hall.

That is when she encountered a huge problem. Literally.

She cursed under her breath at the sight of the looming door separating herself and Kaito. Even from here, she could clearly hear faint sniffles coming from inside, which just made her more determined to see her brother.

 _Though how to go about doing it…_ Kagami clenched her pudgy hands into small fists and tried to do the normal way by knocking on the door, only for her sensitive and small knuckles to hurt but barely make a sound in the rock solid wood. Kaito didn't seem to hear her, or maybe he did and just ignored it, which she wouldn't put past him.

Seems there's no way around it without using her voice. She knew she had been so quiet lately, the result of wallowing in grief, guilt, and self-loathing, so much so that she knew even the detached Kaito noticed. So if she suddenly spoke, it's almost a guarantee that he won't be able to ignore this.

Set in her decision, Kagami took a deep breath and, trying hard not to alert the two adults downstairs, called out softly _. "Onii-chan…?"_

She tried not to wince when her voice cracked because of disuse.

Almost immediately, the faint sounds coming from inside went dead silent. Kagami stayed seated at the cold floor as she waited for Kaito's response. She knew what he would want most of all is to be alone, but she can't let him lose himself in grief. Sooner or later, he would have to face the world again.

Finally, faint footsteps can be heard walking softly towards the door. Kagami tensed and clutched her blanket tighter, waiting until the door opened to a small crack.

Kagami waited patiently as a pair of bloodshot indigo eyes slowly scanned the halls for the intruder, before finally resting on her.

She watched as Kaito's eyes widened a fraction and he pushed the door open the rest of the way, finally revealing the state of her grief-stricken brother after so many days of locking himself in his room, the sight making her heart feel heavier with guilt.

The things immediately noticeable about his appearance is that Kaito's previously bright and so full of life indigo eyes have now been reduced to a dull grey, the pair bloodshot and puffy after so much crying. His gaunt face looked so pale and haunted with prominent bags under his eyes, most likely the result of countless of sleepless nights. It also looked like he never bothered taking care of himself, seeing as he looked like he's been wearing the same clothes for days on end.

Generally speaking, he looked downright awful.

Too busy trying to take in his distraught appearance, Kagami almost missed his next words…

" _K-Kagami…"_ Her brother murmured, and Kagami immediately noticed that he used her full name. " _W-What are you…?"_

But she already moved, crawling past the shocked Kaito and into his room. Or at least, it's _supposed_ to be his room.

The usually tidy room is now a huge mess. But not because Kaito's not a neat person. Instead, it is because of the various broken objects littering the floor that suggests he has been having _fun_ throwing stuff around.

She tried not to look at the huge portrait of their father at the walls which Kaito covered with a bed sheet. That's not important right now.

Mindful of the sharp glass littering one corner of the room, Kagami crawled her way past fallen and torn books, pillows, and even a broken lamp before finally reaching his bed. She then climbed her way up by clutching and clinging for the untidy sheets before finally settling down and facing her frozen brother, who looked like he hasn't moved from his spot near the open door the whole time.

"Onii-chan," She repeated again, successfully drawing his full attention. But she didn't get much further than that when Kaito suddenly snapped out of his bewilderment, his face turning dark and his eyes becoming wild.

"Did Okaa-san put you up to this? She's right outside isn't she?" He suddenly swiveled around to look outside the door, missing Kagami's startled look. He proceeded to scan the dark hall thoroughly, even checking the ceiling as though expecting to see their mother hanging up there. After several minutes of waiting, he finally seemed to accept that she's not there and turned around again, the dark look back on his face. "So you went here all by yourself…?" Mumbling harshly under his breath, he straightened up resolutely and walked until he's standing by the bed towering over her. His eyes are now outright glaring, and Kagami was shocked since this isn't normal for Kaito _at all._

 _What happened to the cheerful young boy she has come to know as her brother?_

"I'm taking you back." He stated and moved forward as if to pick her up. Realizing this, Kagami immediately scrambled back as fast as her limbs can carry her, missing Kaito's fingers by centimeters. Kaito looked after her in disbelief, before frowning again. "I am not in the mood to play games Kagami." He almost growled, the harsh tone catching Kagami by surprise again, and further confirming for her that this is _serious_.

Is it such a good idea to visit Kaito after all?

"Come here." He told her, his tone brooking no argument. But Kagami did not move.

" _Kagami."_ This time, he moved forward again to lift her up, but Kagami evaded his fingers once again.

This time, Kaito _did_ growl. Though while it made her freeze in fear, she was still steadfast in her decision to speak to Kaito tonight. Leaving right now will only make things worse.

" _Don't make me_ –"

"STOP!"

To her surprise, Kaito stopped. He froze in the middle of reaching for her again, his face actually displaying genuine confusion. Taking this chance, she continued speaking again.

"Onii-chan, I wont weave yu." She tried to say firmly, all the while cursing her soft and inexperienced tongue again for totally mispronouncing the words.

He turned his blank eyes on her and stared silently.

When he looked like he still won't respond, she continued, albeit a bit hesitantly. "Pa-pa dead."

Kaito immediately lurched away as if he had been slapped. " _W-What…?!"_ He stammered incoherently.

"Pa-pa dead." She repeated, trying hard to both make her tone firm and stop the distressed tears from falling. He _must_ realize and accept this. "Onwy yu, me, and ma-ma. Me wont weave yu." _I promise._

At that, she slowly reached for his trembling fingers and held onto it with both her hands. She startled a bit when she realized that he was freezing cold and gripped his hands tighter.

What has he been doing in here?

"… Nii-chan?" _Please… say something!_

After a moment of silence, Kaito suddenly turned his head away and Kagami felt her heart plummet in disappointment. That is, until she realized that _he didn't pull away his hand._

Encouraged by this, she gazed up at him hopefully, trying to catch his eyes and not really caring anymore if her previous actions broke her childish image. Whatever happens, her brother will always be a thousand times more important than her identity getting revealed.

"Onii-chan _…_ " She smiled warmly and waited until both pairs of indigo orbs finally met her own. There was no hesitation. _"I love you."_

And with that, his poker face shattered.

Kaito suddenly crumpled to his knees on the hard wooden floor, the unexpected movement startling Kagami so much she jumped. His hands then shot out and grabbed Kagami, pulling her against him in a tight but gentle hug, which she returned immediately. It only took her a few seconds to realize that he is _crying_.

"N- _Nii…?"_

" _W-Why?!_ " He clung to her tighter, "Why did he have t-to _d-die_?!" He finally broke down in harsh sobs, his anguished screams filling the room. Kagami vaguely noticed the sounds in the kitchen downstairs going silent before getting pulled into the crushing hug again. "I c-can't do this Mi-chan… I-I _can't_!"

His chin leaned on top of Kagami's head in defeat, his shoulders still wracking with harsh sobs. "It hu- _hurts_ … It hurts _so_ much. H-He means the w-world to me… he… he taught me e-everything I ever knew…"

With those words, Kaito stiffened and suddenly pulled away from her. He then proceeded to slowly draw out a deck of cards from inside his sleeves before his face crumpled in anger. "I… I don't even know if I should even _do_ magic anymore!" He screamed and proceeded to throw the cards away, sending all 52 of them in the air. They all fluttered down slowly, obscuring her vision a few times, but she still didn't let her attention waver to anything but her brother.

Realizing this and the fact that he couldn't stop after he already began, Kaito continued furiously, his mouth running ahead of his mind. "I don't _want_ to do magic anymore! Besides, w-what right do _I_ have? I let him die! I told him to do that stupid trick even when I knew it was dangerous and now he's gone and it's just the three of us left! If only I hadn't been so stupid, Tou-san would still be here! I don't get it because you should _all_ be angry at me for ruining everythi–"

"No."

For the second time that day, Kaito stopped. Only this time, he looked like he can't speak any longer. His face had gone even paler as the weight of what he just said slowly dawned on him.

"Me not angwy. Ma-ma not angwy." She immediately tried to clear up. It wouldn't do for him to actually believe that. " _Not yu faul'."_

Kaito instantly tried to shake his head in denial, but Kagami had already wrapped her arms around him comfortingly, making him freeze. She knew Kaito will probably be suspicious of her if he remembered this. After all, even for a supposedly 'genius' baby, knowing a lot of words is a bit _too_ much, but she quickly decided that she will deal with the consequences later.

 _God_ , she hopes he will actually forget this.

"Teech mes."

Kaito immediately stiffened. "W- _What_ …?"

" _Teech mes."_ She insisted. " _Teech_ _magic_. Like Pa-pa."

At that, Kaito recoiled from her hug, and Kagami noted that his face looks strangely like a mix of both horror, trepidation, and… _longing_?

"Y-You actually w-wa- _want_ to…?"

"Uh huh!" She nodded enthusiastically, and she felt her face break into a smile when Kaito looked like he was about to give. "Me _luv_ magic!"

And she really does. It fascinated her. It may not be enough for her to actually dream of being a professional magician someday, but it was enough for her to actually _want_ to learn. She figured it will help Kaito get his opinions about magic right again. After all, she wouldn't want him blaming magic so much he will stop being a magician altogether. Then what would become of Kaitou KID?

Kaito looked like he might protest, but seeing his sister's earnest face gazing up at him made him have second thoughts. He knew he became interested of magic at a very young age himself after watching his father do tricks all the time. To suddenly realize that his sister became interested in magic this early was… it actually made him feel kind of… _proud_.

 _But the pain is still too fresh…_

Meanwhile, Kagami just sat patiently as Kaito looked like he was having an inner conflict with himself. She knew it may not be easy for him to recount their father's magic tricks and teaching methods just so he could teach her, but she hopes he will at least try.

At last, her brother looked up, and Kagami was startled to see his face slowly go impassive, the previous traces of anguish and guilt slowly disappearing from his face. She then realized belatedly that he had sealed himself off again from the world.

 _Poker face._

During her realization, she vaguely noticed Kaito silently move to pick her small body up from the bed, and she let him, too confused to do anything else.

The whole journey back to her bedroom was long and tense, and Kagami felt disheartened because she hadn't managed to actually convince Kaito after all. That is, until he spoke, voice so quiet she actually strained to hear him even with her ear right in front of his mouth…

" _Maybe… someday."_

 **...**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

…

 **Chapter Thirteen**

…

Chikage watched silently from behind the door, her gaze soft at the sight of her two children conversing with each other quietly. Kaito was gesturing a bit with his hands and pacing around as he talked, with Kagami listening intently at his lecture, giving her full, undivided attention to her brother. It is a testament to how good she is at sneaking and hiding herself when they still didn't notice her, as children are more perceptive than adults.

It has been roughly a year since the accident, and Chikage can now feel the atmosphere around the house changing. No longer was it so dark and gloomy she felt like suffocating. The moment Kaito had come out of his room after that faithful day, it seemed like her heavy heart felt a whole lot lighter.

And it was all because of Kagami.

It is amazing how a mere baby could make all their grief go away, even for just a moment. Coaxing Kaito out of his shell had been the first step. She then tried it with her next, and Chikage was still surprised to note that her baby girl was successful in releasing her from her self-induced depression. That was the moment she decided that Kagami was special. Not special in the way that she looks and feels like she is smarter than she appears, as both she and Toichi realized. It was the fact that she can touch anyone's heart just by being herself. She can make them feel like they're special too.

Kagami was their family's very own precious little jewel.

Realizing this, Chikage can't help but think that if that's what she can do while she is still a baby, what would happen if she gets older?

She had a _very_ strong feeling that Kaito would be beating various boys and admirers left and right in the near future.

"…you may think it is about fooling others, but it's really not. Magic is something you do to _impress_ people. It is all about creating illusions and the aura of disguise where the audience can easily be carried away with emotions of joy and happiness." Kaito continued to pace, oblivious to the fact that their mother is watching them just a few feet behind the doorway. "I know you may get tired by me constantly repeating the phrase _'practice makes perfect'_ , but you're going to be hearing a lot of that from this day forward. Practicing is the key to becoming a good magician."

Kagami nodded seriously, and Chikage inwardly thought that they both looked a bit ridiculous. A ten-year-old instructing a _baby_ about how to do magic properly. However, Chikage has the funny feeling that Kagami could and _will_ understand the lecture. It's just a matter of time to find out if she can actually apply it.

"Now, since you're still too young," Chikage almost snorted at the huge understatement in that sentence, "I can't let you read the books. You probably won't understand." Kaito tapped his chin thoughtfully, and both Kagami and Chikage waited patiently until he came up with an idea.

"I got it!" He smiled, "I'll let you watch O-" He suddenly choked, but pressed on bravely, "O-Otou-san's old magic videos. He h-had some interesting tricks to show there that I'm sure you can understand. You just have to watch it _really_ well." He smiled reassuringly at her, and even Kagami could tell it was terribly forced. Wisely, she chose not to comment on it. Kaito would just go back to being his subdued self once it was addressed. It would be better to let him deal with it on his own.

"Hai shenshwei." Kagami tried saying with a careful smile, and the tension dissipated almost immediately. Kaito suddenly let out a bark of laughter at her attempt at saying ' _sensei'_ , and even Chikage cracked a smile. Just a few words and she can immediately make everyone feel better.

She really is their own precious little jewel.

…

 **~oOo~**

…

Standing rigidly, four-year-old Kagami took a deep breath before holding her hand outstretched with the palm up. On it lay an innocent-looking coin. A murmured countdown, a shuffle, and a twist and the coin is suddenly gone, only to reappear behind a certain 12-year-old girl's ear.

Not letting her success and the squeal of surprise the girl made ruin her concentration, she went on ahead for the last trick of the day, letting her hands form into a fist. She had been performing for 30 minutes now, combining and bringing to life all she had learned under Kaito's tutelage. While not much, since they still don't trust her with the more difficult and risky tricks, she can almost handle the most basic of tricks now and more. To show what she had learned, Kaito suggested doing a magic show. So here they are.

For the last trick of the day, Kagami opted to do Kaito's signature trick. Shouting "1, 2, 3!", she quickly spread her arms wide, and with that move, countless roses with different colors and sizes suddenly swirled around the room in a flash of confetti. Indigo eyes glittering with pride, she caught a dark pink rose with one hand and handed it to her so-called 'sensei' before bowing deeply, ending the magic show. Kaito's eyes immediately flashed in understanding as he accepted the rose, and she knew he got the message; for a dark pink rose symbolizes deep gratitude. Smiling cheekily, he conjured his own rose and handed it to her, this one a medium pink, symbolizing congratulations. She grinned in amusement.

To her delight, her audience immediately expressed their joy through a standing ovation. Though composing of only three, they quickly filled the room with the sounds of cheers and claps. Kagami straightened her posture, her face flushed with joy and pride. She did it! After two long years of learning, she finally did it!

"That was _amazing_ Mi-chan!" Aoko clapped enthusiastically, with Kagami beaming with joy at the sincerity of those words.

"I knew you could do it!" Kaito was grinning so wide Kagami was surprised his face didn't break in half. "You're a natural!"

She humbly accepted the honest praise with another bow to her teacher, all the while thinking that she's not in fact a natural. She just possessed the mature mindset to actually understand and do the tricks, and it can't help but feel like she is cheating slightly, though she can't exactly tell him that.

Pretty soon, all that was left is her mother's opinion.

Seeing all their eyes on her, Chikage softly spoke up. "Your father would be so proud of you, Kagami-chan." She smiled sadly, though her eyes are shining with pride.

Feeling her heart ache again at the reminder of that day, she just smiled back and replied, her tone melancholic. "I hope so too."

Bowing again in respect and gratitude, she quickly moved forward, surprising both her mother and brother with a tight hug. They quickly returned it.

She had done everything she could during the past few years to show that she cared and loved them as real people, not just as anime characters. She spent more time with them every day, she became friendlier with Aoko-neechan (that's what she insisted she call her the moment she can talk), and she even tried convincing her mother to let her get out of the house more so that she can learn more about the culture of the Japanese, as she had been an American in her first life.

Gradually, her remaining family realized her efforts and slowly started coming out of their shells more, and soon, they did become very close. Kagami had remembered that Kaito and his mother had not been very close in the series, so she's glad that she changed that part. Kaito would need a family he can confide in once he became the mysterious Kaitou KID, as she knows that it's going to be a hard life ahead of him.

Speaking of the Kaitou KID, the thief has gradually become a legend after so many years of being gone. Since only a few people knew the truth, the whole world has descended into speculations and theories about KID's sudden disappearance. Inspector Nakamori, more so. The Kaitou KID Task Force had been disbanded a year ago, with Nakamori-keibu working as a regular cop once more, much to his disdain. She knew KID will reemerge soon, but seeing Nakamori-keibu's disappointed face after so many years with no heist notices still breaks her heart.

"Keep practicing Kagami-chan, and you'll be as good as Kai-chan soon!" Chikage whispered before pulling away, with Kaito sending her a wink in return and Aoko smiling brightly and nodding in agreement to the side.

Kagami's response was to rain down yellow flowers all over them, the color representing her joy and happiness very clearly. Though even while celebrating, she still can't help but notice her mother's sad and, dare she say it, _guilty_ expression just off to the side…

…

 **~oOo~**

…

There is something strange about her daughter.

It has been showing gradually over the past few years, but this is the first time Chikage actually sat back and thought about it. She knew she had been ignoring the signs in favor of dealing with her immediate problems, but she can't ignore this any longer.

Kaito may not fully realize it until he's older, but Chikage knew and understands that Kagami's intelligence is very, _very_ extraordinary. She knows there are a lot of genius babies around the world, in fact there is a whole list of them, so producing a genius baby isn't strange, but something tells her that Kagami's intelligence is something else entirely, and that she was missing something very crucial.

She knows and has already met two of what could be classified as young geniuses, one of which is the Kudos' son Shinichi and the other is her own child Kaito. Both of them has been able to think and behave far more advanced than their age, but she feels that Kagami may still beat them squarely at this age, though she has no clue if this pattern will continue as the years go by.

Chikage often wonders if Toichi realized this fact somehow prior to his death. She can't deny that he was far more observant when it comes to details like this, so he surely noticed something. She can't help but think of what his theories might be regarding this, if he had lived. He would surely guess the right answer, since he has a knack for it.

Watching her dear Kagami's performance now, she can't help but be suspicious of how easily she mastered the basic tricks Kaito taught her, at the tender age of four. No, even before that, she has already proven that she could understand everything Kaito taught her. Her auditory skills (both reading and speaking) and motor skills (walking and running) are also progressing at a very fast rate. She also can't help but notice that Kagami acts more maturely than Kaito, sometimes even leading him on without him knowing it. It's truly bizarre and fascinating to watch.

And with that knowledge, she somehow knew that both her children could take care of themselves without her there.

She just hopes they will forgive her when she finally tells them...

…

 **~oOo~**

…

"You're leaving?"

Chikage's hands froze in the middle of lifting the cup of coffee to her lips at the sound, dread settling on her stomach. Her wide eyes immediately shot to the small form of her daughter standing by the dim doorway, indigo eyes almost glowing knowingly. Slightly shaken, she carefully set the cup down while trying to calm her racing heart, though judging by the look on Kagami's face, they both knew fairly well that she was startled badly.

Hearing footsteps, Chikage turned the whole way to look at her daughter who has now taken a few careful steps forward, every movement she made delicate but calculated. Kagami had learned how to walk a long time ago, and she had taken to doing it every hour of every day. It seemed she really enjoyed the freedom it gave that crawling can't, but still has to be careful since she's still not used to doing it yet.

It took her a second before finding out that she hasn't answered the question yet. "What do you mean?" Chikage tried asking in confusion, trying to mask the nervousness in her voice.

"You're leaving." Kagami repeated patiently, and Chikage was reminded of how much Kagami improved in speech over the course of two years. She suspected that her vocabulary was always large, she just lacked the ability to use it. "Or you want to." She amended.

 _Where did this come from?_ "Oh Kagami-chan… what makes you think I want to do that?" She asked in a genuinely puzzled voice.

"You watch us for months." She said instead, carefully shuffling her feet over to where Chikage is sitting. "You slowly allow Nii-chan to take care of me and the house," she frowned. "He doesn't notice, but he will know soon."

Taken aback by the perceptiveness of her daughter, she took a few moments to gather her thoughts. She doesn't understand why she felt the need to be careful around her own child but the feeling is there nonetheless.

"Kai-chan's growing up. It's only natural he should learn to take care of you and the house." She said carefully, her gaze carefully gauging Kagami's face for any odd reaction.

She could see Kagami pondering on her response, face carefully blank. That was a pretty decent poker face, she could give her that. Children are usually very open and easy to read, so Kagami's behavior is highly unusual for it to be normal.

"That's true," Her daughter said absently, "but also not. You put too much re-res—" Here, she wrinkled her nose as she tried to pronounce the word. "r-reponswiblity on Nii-chan to be the only reason." Her eyes then flickered to meet her own, the emotion behind them solemn and sad. "Please don't lie anymore ma-ma. Telling it again after lying only makes it hurt more."

…

Chikage was stunned. Her hands started shaking even as Kagami watched her silently. Her daughter's sincerity and the truthfulness of her words slammed into her like a heavy truck, making her realize just how stupid she has been. She thought she had been discrete about this, not wanting to hurt any of her children anymore by letting them know. But the desire to do it is just so _painful_ …

"...I'm right?" Kagami asked quietly.

"Yes." She gasped softly as the tears finally started cascading down, leaving a wet trail on her cheeks _. "I'm so sorry…"_

"Why?" Her voice is still carefully devoid of any emotion, and that fact just made Chikage's heart hurt more.

"I'm so selfish…" She laughed humorlessly, "Can you forgive your mother for being so selfish Kagami-chan?"

Her daughter stayed unbearably silent, making the horrible dread in Chikage's stomach worse.

"I was tired, you see." She tried to explain wearily. "I was so tired of being cooped up in this house, seeing memories of Toichi in every single object every day. I was _suffocating_ , Kagami-chan. I need to take a moment away from all of this. But I know I can't do that when I have two children, the most precious people in my entire life, to take care of. That was why I was so reluctant to tell you. I know I'm being selfish, and I don't expect you to understand, but I hope that you can just—"

"But what about Nii-chan?!" Kagami suddenly cut her off, eyes almost _glowing_ in fury. Chikage was instantly shocked by the raw passion and emotion she displayed, as it's extremely rare for her to be angry. She _never_ threw temper tantrums, so to see the anger now directed at her is _shocking_. "He still hurts over that day, and now you're _leaving_?!"

"I know Kagami-chan, I know…" The tears are still falling, but she made no attempt to wipe them off. She doesn't want to leave them, but everything is just too much to bear…

In the meantime, Kagami had turned around to walk back to her room, but not before delivering the final blow. "I wanted to say _'please stay'_ , but I am more scared of what will happen if you actually did." There seemed to be something much more behind that simple sentence, but Kagami didn't offer to tell more. Just…

"Tell Nii-chan soon."

Chikage could only nod guiltily.

None of them mentioned the fact that both knew said brother is currently listening in on the conversation, eyes wide with unsuppressed tears.

 **...**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

…

 **Chapter Fourteen**

…

Saying that Kaito accepted their mother's reasons for leaving calmly was a lie. It was the first time Kagami saw him so furious, both in this life and the previous one. He was literally _quivering_ with rage as he fought with their mother to stay and to not leave them like their father did. They both seem to have forgotten that Kagami can hear every word, and because of that, they didn't notice that she didn't react at all during the fight. No tears or tantrums, as most babies would have done when hearing people shouting like mad. Just silence, the only sign that she's listening is the tenseness of her body. But that doesn't mean she's okay that Chikage's leaving. The truth is, she is _furious_ , though unlike her brother, she understands their mother's reasons and respects it. But that doesn't mean she has to like it.

And so she remained silent while they fought. It went on for a long time, but in the end, Kaito was able to accept it. But not before shutting himself in his room again, stubbornly ignoring any attempts their mother made to talk to him.

As for Kagami, she already forgave Chikage. Losing someone is hard, but it's even worse if it's someone very close to you. After her first mother died, Ivy refused to step out of her room for _weeks_ , only leaving when required. Even then, she finds it hard to live in a house where she can see traces of her mother everywhere, so she kind of understands what Chikage feels now. She felt the need to leave and go to a new place where there's no trace of her husband anywhere. Only then can she truly move on.

As for how they'll live, Chikage already said that she will leave them in the care of the Nakamoris until Kaito can take care of her on his own.

And lastly, Chikage leaves three days from now, which greatly contributed to Kaito's anger and Kagami's surprise at the abruptness of it. She also can't help but feel disappointed. Mainly because leaving so suddenly means that her mother will miss her first day in kindergarten. While it's not really necessary for her to be there, since Kagami can obviously take care of herself just fine, she still can't help but feel upset. To her dismay, Kaito also realized this and it once again contributed to their never-ending argument. Fortunately, and with her intervention, it ended as quickly as it began.

Soon enough, it is the day of Chikage's departure.

 **...**

"Be good, okay?" Chikage smiled sadly, hot tears falling down her cheeks. Kaito is still not looking at her, but she can clearly tell that he wants more than ever to cling to her and never let go. She then looked at her daughter, who adopted a stony face the whole time. Her eyes are sharp and piercing, and Chikage instantly knew that if she leaves without speaking to her son, then she'll not only lose one, but two of her children.

"Kai-chan?" Chikage said gently, kneeling so they're face-to-face. "May I talk to you?"

Her son is still trying to ignore her, but after a gentle nudge from Kagami, he finally looked up.

Chikage smiled sadly, "I'll be going now."

He frowned. "I know."

"I won't be gone long. I'll return when… when I'm ready."

"I don't care, take as long as you like." The words were cold and harsh, however Chikage knew that this is just a front. A shield. And all she has to do is to break through them to reveal her suffering son underneath. Her eyes softened, "Kai-chan, I know you're angry at me, and I can't expect you to suddenly forgive me. But please, can't we make peace? Not for me, but for your sister."

At the mention of Kagami, Kaito quickly turned to look at his sister who looked back in surprise. It didn't take long for his decision.

"Alright." He mumbled, before quietly reaching out to hug her. Chikage immediately placed her arms around her son, sad by the fact that he was only doing this for his sister and relieved that he doesn't really hate her after all.

Though even while knowing that, it still came as a surprise when she heard Kaito mumble something against her clothes, the sound almost drowned out by the noises around them.

" _I'll miss you."_

She immediately felt like there was a lump in her throat and she started to tremble. "I'll miss the both of you too." Silently gesturing for Kagami to join them, her daughter reluctantly moved closer before ultimately wrapping her tiny arms around the both of them as best as she could. She tightened her hold and laughed tearfully, the full weight of the situation hitting her. She's really leaving her children behind, and for what? For some closure? Now that she thought about it, the reasoning is too pathetic. No wonder Kaito is so angry at her.

However, this isn't the time for second thoughts. She knows her children is starting to forgive her for doing this, and she wants to make it all worth it. "Take care, you two. I'll come home as soon as I can."

This time, it was Kagami who replied, "Take your time ma-ma." There was no trace of bitterness in her voice, unlike when Kaito said his own highly similar remark. Instead, it seems like she's _encouraging_ her.

Chikage smiled inwardly; she has her own theories, but she'll probably have to get back before she'll have the chance to prove them…

 **...**

Chikage left Japan soon after that.

 **...**

 **~oOo~**

 **...**

"Wait for me here so I can pick you up after school, alright?" Nakamori turned to smile at the young girl, trying his best to dispel whatever her fears she may have. Curiously, the Kurobas' daughter only looked back impassively, looking for all the world uncaring for her first day of school.

It has been a few days since Chikage's departure and slowly but surely, her two children are coping much better than he thought they would. Kaito is almost back to his normal self, with his sister not so far behind. Maybe they can pull this off after all…

Speaking of which, "Hai, ojisan." Kagami said dutifully. A sudden hug from the side caught her attention though, and she glanced to see her brother's reassuring gaze as he slowly began squeezing the life out of her.

"Don't be nervous about your first day Mi-chan, everything will be okay. You'll learn to make lots of friends in no time, I'm sure of it." He shot her a smile, though they both know it was forced. He's still bitter over the fact that it should've been their mother accompanying her on her first day instead of Nakamori-keibu, though they're still thankful to him for that.

"Arigatou onii-chan." She squeezed her brother's arm to reassure him before she let go. In truth, she wasn't nervous at all for her first day. She survived high school, surely she could survive a nursery full of kids. However, she knew Kaito was the one nervous and reluctant to let her go. "Don't worry, I'll be alright."

"I'm sure you are." He smiled at her again, this time a touch more genuine, before pushing her gently to the direction of the school gates. "Now go on, before I change my mind and drag you back here." He joked.

Waving one last time, Kagami finally turned her back on them to face her first day in school head-on. In doing so, she failed to notice Kaito's expression wilt down slightly. The thought of Kagami — the only family that is present in his life right now — soon living an independent life, making friends that may one day replace his spot as her closest confidant, is frightening. But at the same time, he knows he can't keep her cooped up in their house forever.

Silently wishing their father to watch over her, he finally turned to ride the Inspector's car to his own school, sitting beside Aoko who gave him a worried glance but thankfully remaining silent, knowing him well enough to know he doesn't want to talk yet.

 **...**

 **~oOo~**

 **...**

 _Kids,_ Kagami thought, _are simply the worst._

Surveying the classroom with a critical eye, (and seeing the chaos in its full glory), Kagami quickly decided that it is for the best that she ignore it before continuing to walk in the room, quickly choosing a table that is right beside the window and away from the chaos, giving her the perfect view of both the surroundings outside and the whole room.

 _Are kindergartens always_ this _wild or is it just an occasional occurrence?_

Either way, the classes aren't bad. It just felt a bit degrading and boring to be back in kindergarten learning how to describe shapes and count again. However, she has to admit that learning to read and write in Japanese is fascinating. _This_ is something she's new at and would gladly spend all this time improving in. In fact, maybe instead of spending the whole day pretending to listen to the teacher's lecture, she can just learn kanji? After all, it would be extremely odd for her to be able to speak Japanese fluently but not be able to write it.

"Okay class," The teacher quickly called for silence, "Now, since this is the last hour of the day, I will allow free time. However, I strongly suggest you use this time to roam around and make friends so we can get to know each other more…" The teacher's not yet done with her announcement and already, children are standing up and running around the room, again resulting in chaos. This may not be the right thing to do with such an energetic class as this, but Kagami decided to use this time to mingle. Her mistake in her last life is that she became too quiet and distant after her mother's death, resulting in her being a loner. Her high grades also don't help her cause at all, further isolating her from everyone who thought that she was boring because, to them, she only wanted to study all the time. Shaking her head slightly at the memories, she frowned, perhaps living in a world where there are a lot of geniuses can finally help her 'belong'.

Though one thing that she wouldn't change is that she would _still_ avoid talking too much. She only does so when necessary so that she avoids saying anything that can damage any future events. After all, she already did enough just by existing here. However, staying quiet will not help her befriend anyone so, with her decision set, she quickly turned to look at her seatmate and flashed her with a bright, friendly smile, not giving herself a chance to back off. "Hi there! What's your name?"

To her surprise, the girl only glanced at her for only a second before immediately standing up and leaving. Further observation revealed the girl was headed to join what was presumably her group of friends, who all turned to look at her in disdain.

Figures her luck would be to try befriending some brat.

Tearing her gaze away from the group's upturned noses, Kagami quickly decided to scour the room for a friendlier face. Her search quickly led her to a fidgety girl sitting not two rows away, her nervous eyes flashing back and forth the room. She's obviously afraid of socializing, something Kagami can somehow relate to.

She quickly got up and made a beeline for the girl. Taking care not to startle her away, she beamed again, trying to make use of her mediocre poker face to hide her own nervousness. "Hello! I'm Kagami. What's your name?"

The girl let out a squeak before turning to face her, eyes wide with surprise. It took her a moment to register the question, but when it did… "M-My name's Haruka." She mumbled.

"How are you doing Haruka-chan?" Kagami asked, determined to keep a conversation going.

"O-Okay…" She dutifully replied.

"Really? Me too." She tried to smile, but quickly deflated a bit when Haruka averted her eyes shyly. Determined to finish what she started, Kagami smiled gently, "Being away from home for the first time is a bit scary at first, but I think we'll get used to it soon."

"Y-You're scared too?" Haruka's eyes are wide. "But you don't look like it!"

"That's just because I'm good at hiding it." She held out a hand, "But that doesn't mean I'm not scared. To tell you the truth, I'm really terrified of making friends. Right now, I'm terrified you won't accept my hand and leave me here embarrassed." At those words, Haruka hurriedly clasped her hand with hers, making Kagami smile in achievement. "So are we friends now?"

"Yes! I mean, only i-if you want me to…" She returned to mumbling, but Kagami knows she's successful either way.

"Of course I want to. Now let's see if we can find another one to befriend."

Scouring the room one more time, Kagami's eyes quickly zeroed in on a boy reading a book a couple rows away. He seemed like the smart and studious type. With her target in mind, she quickly bounded over to the boy, half-dragging the nervous Haruka behind her. Stopping at his side, she tapped his shoulder before letting out another of her friendly smiles. "Hi! I'm Kagami, and this here is Haruka-chan. What's your name?"

Seeming surprised at suddenly being spoken to, the boy quickly looked up from his book — a science book — before smiling happily, as if glad that someone approached him. "Hello Kagami-san, Haruka-san. I'm Mitsuhiko, nice to meet you!"

Wait, what?

Eyes wide, Kagami quickly did a swift up and down search. Freckled cheeks, pointy face… even the hair looks familiar.

Well then… another canon character. It seems she's fated to meet some if not everyone at the very least.

That doesn't mean she's not nervous. "Nice to meet you too." In any case, Mitsuhiko's much easier to befriend than Haruka, that's for sure.

"N-Nice to meet you..." Well, at least Haruka's making an effort.

"Do you have any other friends Mitsuhiko-kun?" Kagami asked, mildly curious if he already met someone say… the Detective Boys.

At that question, he suddenly sighed wearily. "I'm trying but it doesn't seem like anyone wants to talk. I think they're put off by the book." He then proceeded to wave the book in their faces, emphasizing the word 'Science' in the title. "I don't think they want to be friends with a nerd like me." He scratched his head sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I like to read books too." Kagami reassured him. "There's nothing wrong with studying ahead of time and being prepared. It might even help you in the long run. That is… I mean, that's what my brother told me anyways." She added hastily, not wanting to sound too mature.

He immediately brightened up at that, not noticing her slight slip. "You think so too? I mean, I also want to be prepared for anything. So if you think this will help…"

"I'm sure it will." She nodded, knowing that in the future, Mitsuhiko's intelligence will often get the Detective Boys out of a tight spot.

"Thanks Kagami-san!" He grinned brightly. "So do you want to read with me?"

She grinned back, finally feeling comfortable around him. She then dragged Haruka down to sit on his other side so Mistuhiko's in the middle. They then spent the rest of the free period poring over the science book, with Kagami ending up teaching them both somehow.

Unbeknownst to her, their teacher has been listening to their conversation for the past half hour, narrowed eyes staring thoughtfully at the small mismatched group…

 **...**

 **~oOo~**

 **...**

"So Mi-chan," Kaito grinned as he ate. They've been eating dinner with the Nakamoris ever since their mother left, which is one of the good things that came out of Chikage's sudden absence, since it means Kaito gets to spend more time with Aoko after class. Nakamori-keibu and Aoko always receives them warmly every day, never failing to amaze Kaito with their kindness. "How's school? Did anything interesting happen?"

He watched as Kagami shrugged noncommittally, picking at her food.

" _Ah_ ~" Kaito snickered to himself. "I know that look. After all, I gave that to Kaa-san and Tou-san before." He's learned to stop stuttering whenever he mentions their father now, which people said is a sign that he is already coping and moving on from _that day_.

He quickly pushed that thought away from his mind, making his grin extra big. "That means you're as bored as I am back then, am I right?"

"Kaito!" Aoko immediately frowned at him, "She didn't say that. For all we know, she enjoyed school. I know _I_ enjoyed it back then." She turned to smile at her, "Isn't that right, Kagami-chan?"

"Ano…" Kagami hesitated, before smiling apologetically at Aoko. "Gomen, Aoko-neechan, but Onii-chan's right. It _is_ kinda boring…"

Kaito immediately snickered at Aoko's stunned face before turning to ruffle Kagami's hair. "Atta girl Mi-chan! It's too _boring_ for us geniuses, right?"

"N-Not really..." Kagami suddenly said, this time apologetically smiling at Kaito. "I enjoyed a bit. I made friends with some of my classmates!" She grinned happily, obviously proud of her efforts. While it is a bit unnerving to know another canon character, especially one who has a pretty big impact to the plot, she can't deny that Mitsuhiko is very easy to talk to since he can hold a decent conversation with her. Not like other kids who just asks her to play all day long. Haruka's okay, but she's too shy for her own good. "I have two friends now. Their names are Haruka-chan and Mitsuhiko-kun."

 _Snap!_

Chopsticks suddenly broke in half, startling everyone at the table. Kagami blinked and stared as Kaito started to tremble. Recognizing the signs, Aoko subtly began inching away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Nakamori-keibu immediately picked up the plates and bowls nearest to Kaito who looked like he might explode, for fear of him smashing them to pieces, which is probably what will happen. Only Kagami remained in her seat, looking for all the world confused at his reaction.

Kaito's head suddenly shot up, and Kagami saw his eyelid twitching as he obviously struggled to contain his irritation. He suddenly burst, and Kagami immediately understood his problem.

" _You made friends with a boy on your first day?!"_

"You're overreacting _Bakaito_!" Aoko snapped.

" _What does he look like? Where does he live?!"_

"Kaito-kun, careful with the dishes…" Nakamori-keibu sighed in defeat.

 _"What's his full name!? Is he your boyfriend?!"_

With that last question, Aoko quickly had enough and smacked him on the face with the tail-end of the mop, her eyes blazing. "What do you mean 'boyfriend'? She just _met_ the kid, _baka_!"

"But—" Kaito gestured helplessly with one hand, the other pressing lightly on the growing bruise on his forehead. "But he's a _boy_!" He blurted out, making the word sound like a horrible curse.

"No _duh_!"

Ginzo sighed when he heard the tell-tale signs of the two chasing each other around again, his indication the crashes and bangs of their furniture in the distant rooms. He doesn't bother stopping them, it doesn't do much good anyways. Instead, he turned to the one Kuroba he swears is the only level-headed and mature one, who was eating her food again as if nothing happened.

"I don't suppose you can give the both of them some of your maturity, huh?" He asked good-naturedly. "Or even your quietness, I can settle with just that."

He watched as the little girl glanced at him in amusement, before shrugging nonchalantly. It fascinated Ginzo, the way the girl behaves; she communicates non-verbally most of the time, only speaking when necessary. He often wonders why she's like that when the rest of her family are so loud and melodramatic, though he supposes it's a good change from the norm.

"So…" Ginzo tried asking casually, and clearly failing. "Who _is_ that 'Mitsuhiko' kid?"


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**...**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **...**

The past year was the first time five-year-old Kagami felt truly happy in a while. Attending preschool again may not be everyone's first plans if they ever get reincarnated, but it works for her. The kids were annoying at first, but spending more time with them and doing the things they like to do, such as playing all the time, allowed her to loosen up a bit. Experiencing this made her feel like a kid again, making her realize that it's not hard to imagine how quickly Conan adapted to his situation when he shrunk.

As expected, even when doing the most basic of things like naming colors, numbers, or even trying to learn the Japanese alphabet Hiragana, Kagami topped all her classes, with Haruka lagging a bit behind. Being friends with Haruka for a long time, Kagami eventually discovered that while she's not as academically oriented as her, Haruka's _very_ clever. After many months, she began losing quite a bit of that shyness she had on their first day and is now talking normally to anyone without the stutter. Good thing too, because Kagami was starting to be bothered by it. Though she cannot avoid reverting back to being shy whenever attention is drawn to herself.

Speaking of Haruka… "Kagami-chan," Her friend called, "Are you coming? Mitsuhiko-kun said he'll wait for us at the playground, remember?"

 _Oh, that's right_. "Coming." Kagami smiled before letting herself get dragged out of the classroom. Haruka was tugging at her a bit enthusiastically, as she always gets whenever Mitsuhiko was around. Kagami has to admit she didn't notice it at first, but after observing the way Haruka always looks and acts around the boy, she can now finally confirm that Haruka has a crush on him, though as far as she knew, Mitsuhiko is fairly oblivious to it. "I can't help but notice you're a little _too_ excited to see Mitsuhiko-kun again, Haruka-chan." She teased, causing her friend to suddenly turn several shades redder.

" _Kagami-chan!"_ Haruka shoved her shoulder in embarrassment but she just laughed.

" _What_? It's true!"

"Well yes, but you're excited too, dummy!" Haruka laughed openly at the sheepish look on her face. "But yeah, I'm just excited because this is the first time he contacted us again after not hearing from him for over three months now." Haruka suddenly looked dejected. "To be honest. I've started to think he doesn't want to be friends with us anymore…"

"Well... I don't think it's him not wanting to be friends anymore, but maybe he's been caught up in something else." Kagami reasoned. "Maybe, family issues?"

"What if he's caught in an accident?!" Haruka suddenly paled and their steady pace suddenly increased. "What if he's really sick and we haven't heard from him until now because he can't wake up and _he only has a few days to live–?!"_

"Calm down Haruka-chan!" Kagami shook her shoulders, all the while noticing that they've stopped walking in the middle of the courtyard and people are starting to stare. To her dismay, Haruka realized this at the same time and began to shrink from the attention. She shook her again to distract her from the stares. "Mitsuhiko-kun is _not_ dying. Our teacher would be on leave if he was. He's probably just having problems and that's why he can't visit us until now."

At her explanation, Haruka's wide eyes immediately cleared and she suddenly looked sheepish. " _Oh_ … I guess you're right. Tsubaraya-sensei would probably not be teaching today if Mitsuhiko-kun's hurt. I'm being stupid."

"No you're not. I've been worried about Mitch too." Kagami sighed internally. To be honest, she had been scared half to death after he suddenly stopped visiting them, fearing that he has been caught in an accident or even murdered, just like what Haruka was thinking. After all, in the DC World, _anything_ could happen–

"I thought I told you not to call me Mitch, _Mimi_." A very familiar voice behind her sighed in exasperation.

Kagami froze in surprise before abruptly whirling around, coming face-to-face with the person they're currently talking about. Mitsuhiko didn't even get a chance to say 'hi' before he was suddenly tackled to the ground by two very enthusiastic girls.

Kagami almost felt her face break in half from smiling so widely, her previous fears and worries all gone. She _missed_ Mitsuhiko, who's been a really great friend and conversation partner in the year they've known each other. He's the only kid Kagami knew that can hold a decent conversation with her without ever asking her to play every few minutes or so like the other kids do.

The first time she met him, Kagami really thought that Mitsuhiko was a part of the class. Though to give her credit, it was really easy to make that mistake, what with him sitting in a desk and all. It turns out that Mitsuhiko is actually only two-years-old back then (now three after a year), approximately two years younger than her, and he was there because his mother was their teacher, Tsubaraya-sensei. She only found out because one day Mitsuhiko just stopped coming, and the teacher had to tell them that he wasn't really a part of the class and that he just attended because there's no one at home to take care of him (his sister was in school and both his parents are working.)

It was all very unexpected to Kagami, who didn't know that both Mitsuhiko's parents are actually teachers. To be honest, it made her feel a bit disappointed that she wasn't really going to be classmates with the Detective Boys in the future. But at the same time, she felt extremely relieved. She just knew that the moment Conan meets her, he will figure her out in just a second. And she can't afford that if she's constantly with him in a small room for hours every day.

Mitsuhiko visits them every few weeks though, much to the joy of Haruka who was distraught when she found out about his real age. Even though Mitsuhiko was younger than them for about two years, his matured mind made him feel like he's just the same age as them. The trio quickly became the best of friends, and the rest of their classmates quickly became used to Mitsuhiko occasionally sitting in their classes and contributing to the discussions, which Kagami estimated probably contributed to his maturity and intelligence. Everyone became used to their routine so much that when Mitsuhiko eventually stopped coming, everyone felt the change. But this is not like his usual disappearances. This time, he was gone for almost two months, worrying them both immensely. Seeing him again today looking relatively alright was like a weight lifted from Kagami's heart, who was worried that maybe she caused things to screw up again just by existing here.

Haruka eventually stopped hugging him after a while (probably out of shyness), but Kagami has no qualms at all, opting to squeeze the life out of him for worrying her so much. " _What took you so long_ , _Mitch!_?" She immediately interrogated him.

Mitsuhiko sighed again in exasperation, but they both knew he wasn't serious. "I _thought_ I told you to stop calling me that? Just because you heard my sister call me 'Mit-chan' that one time doesn't mean that you can call me 'Mitch', _Mimi_."

Kagami winced at the sound of her nickname. Only Kaito can say it properly whenever he becomes tired of 'Mi-chan', and it's really weird when others do it. "Okay, point made."

"But seriously, where have you been Mitsuhiko-kun?" Haruka asked worriedly, "You've been gone for almost three months now!"

" _Ahh_ …" Pulling away from the hug, Mitsuhiko laughed uneasily and scratched the back of his head. Kagami's gaze immediately sharpened. "I… I've just been busy. You know, since it's my turn to attend school next year."

"It still surprises me to think we're actually _older_ than you." Kagami teased. Mitsuhiko was a bit taller than them, an unusual height for a three-year-old, so he naturally looks older. But she can't help but feel that there's something more going on here…

Mitsuhiko seems oblivious about her scrutiny though, "That just means you two will become an ' _obaa-san'_ before I do." Mitsuhiko teased back.

"…" Kagami grumbled a bit when she couldn't think of a good comeback to that one.

"Anyway, how have you two been? Still at the top of the class Kagami-san?" He asked.

Kagami laughed uneasily at that, " _Yeah_..." She's been trying so hard to dumb down her schoolwork this whole time so as not to seem like some crazy genius _._ Though trying to deliberately misspell words while not making it obvious is much harder than she thought it would be.

"And Haruka-san, made any friends other than Kagami-san?" Mitsuhiko teased.

It may be taken as an insult, but thankfully, the implications of what he said sailed right over Haruka's head. Especially since she's too caught up in being questioned by her 'crush'. Boys really _are_ oblivious.

"Yes! I tried really hard not to stutter like you told me and it worked!" She proudly exclaimed. Kagami just sighed in defeat. They're _both_ oblivious.

"So..." Here, Mitsuhiko looked a bit embarrassed as he turned back to Kagami. "Is... Is your brother still mad at me?"

Wha- _huh_? Her brother? Mad at... _Oh thaaaat_.

"No no!" Kagami laughed heartily at the reminder of that memorable incident that's forever imprinted in her camera. After that messy dinner at the Nakamoris, Kaito had come to her school looking very much like an angry mother hen. He then took _'overprotective big brother'_ mode to a whole new level and proceeded to stalk Kagami and her friends for a whole day. At first, she didn't notice (probably because even as a kid, Kaito has the inborn stalker abilities of the Kaitou KID from their father's genes) but she soon noticed their constant tail. What followed is an ensuing chase as she tries to catch him in the act while at the same time, take pictures of him wearing some of his _interesting_ kiddy disguises. But while that event had been amusing, it's obvious to them that Kaito didn't really like Mitsuhiko that much. He still doesn't, even when Kagami tried to convince him that nothing weird is going on, for heaven's sake. "Onii-chan is just overreacting as usual, I told you that. Once he sees how great you are, I'm sure he'll change his mind about you being a potential future boyfriend for me. Heh, like _that's_ gonna happen."

She completely failed to see the frown on his face after that comment.

Thankfully, Haruka swiftly saved the awkward situation by completely changing the subject, "Why are you in such a rush?" She asked, frowning a bit. "You won't be attending school until another year at least."

" _Ahhh…_ " At that, Mitsuhiko laughed nervously again, suddenly sparking Kagami's suspicions. "You know me; I like to be prepared."

"Uh huh..." Haruka raised an eyebrow. Quickly catching on, Kagami pounced on the opening Haruka left her.

"This seems to be too much though," Kagami remarked. "Considering that it's not even enrollment season yet."

Like a flipped switch, Mitsuhiko suddenly looked panicked as he stiffened before trying not so subtly to change the subject by babbling about what he supposedly did during the past three months. That's when Kagami confirmed that he's hiding something, and if Haruka hadn't pointed it out, she might've missed it entirely.

"…I'm just getting my requirements and stuff." He was babbling, "You know how hard to get those certificates are. Not to mention buying my school things and–"

"Mitsuhiko-kun, those can be quickly arranged in just a few days." Kagami reminded him carefully, "But fixing requirements doesn't explain why you've been gone for more than three months now."

"I… I'm just…" Mitsuhiko trailed off and fell silent, eyes carefully averted from the two of them. That's when Kagami – who lived with two masters of the poker face and thus more sensitive to facial expressions – realized that he was about to _cry_.

"M-Mitsuhiko-kun?" Kagami stared in shock. What _happened_?

"What's wrong?" Haruka asked uncertainly, worried eyes flickering between the two of them. But Kagami didn't bother giving her an answer (she will find out soon anyway) and instead wordlessly tugged at Mitsuhiko's hand and led him away from the crowded courtyard and into a more private spot in the school gardens. After all, she doubts he wanted to let everyone see him crying.

"Alright, we're all clear. Now, what's going on?" Kagami asked softly. She has zero experience whatsoever in dealing with crying kids, so she's a bit afraid to say anything lest she make Mitsuhiko even more upset.

He just stared blankly at her, then at Haruka, who was looking more apprehensive at the moment. Suddenly, the first tears fell, and Kagami was so shocked she just froze while Haruka immediately moved forward to hug him comfortingly.

"I'm sorry!" Mitsuhiko sniffed and tried in vain to hold back his tears. Haruka immediately tightened her grip around him. "I'm sorry I couldn't convince them!"

Kagami was still frozen, so Haruka quickly took control of the conversation. And it was then Kagami realized how much shy little Haruka matured over a year after their first meeting. "Convince who, Mitsuhiko-kun?" she asked gently, but there's no mistaking the extreme worry in her tone.

Mistuhiko hiccupped a bit, before muttering, "My parents…"

This time, Kagami finally snapped out of it. "Your parents?" She asked in confusion. Tsubaraya-sensei was teaching them just earlier today and she looked fine, so what…?

Mitsuhiko finally answered her silent question. "We're leaving." He admitted sadly.

Kagami froze for the second time that day. This time, Haruka joined her. "W- _What_?" Kagami stammered.

"We're leaving." Mitsuhiko repeated miserably. "My parents have been looking to teach in a good university for a while now, and they just got the jobs. The problem is, it's a school in another city – you know Beika? My sister goes to school there – and they couldn't leave me behind all alone here, and Onee-san is too busy with school to take care of me, so they decided to take me with them to Beika..." He was babbling in a hurry to get it all out, but neither of them really seemed to notice. "…and I told them I don't want to go because I don't want to leave you two but Okaa-san insisted and I couldn't do anything!"

He sniffled a bit more and hugged Haruka to him tighter, who is also sporting tears now. Meanwhile, Kagami was shocked but, strangely enough, that was it. It's true that she did feel sad if Mitsuhiko's really leaving, but in her own opinion, it's not really that big of a deal. Beika is roughly a 30-40 minute walk away. She took the time to find out how far it is from Ekoda as soon as she could for her own piece of mind and it's not really that far. She was left feeling a bit confused on how hard the both of them are taking this, but seemed to realize almost immediately.

 _Of course!_ For her, who is older and far used to traveling in the past, a 40 minute walk isn't really a problem. But for children who is only used to walking or driving with their parents to school (except for those rare and adventurous kids), Beika will seem so far away. They will _obviously_ be distraught.

"It's okay, you guys." Kagami smiled reassuringly at them, and both kids looked at her in varying expressions of sadness. "Beika isn't really that far away. If we really want to, we can visit each other at least once or twice a month between school. We won't be so separated, not really."

Both suddenly looked at her with hope in their eyes, " _Really_?"

She nodded heartily, trying to do her best to reassure them. She _really_ doesn't know how to handle crying kids… "It's going to be okay Mitsuhiko-kun. If you ask your parents, I'm sure they'll allow you to visit once in a while. Just don't forget us, okay?" She tried to joke, but realized that the sound came out very hollow.

It was then that she realized that it's very likely Mitsuhiko will forget them. Pretty soon, he'll meet the Detective Boys and Conan and they'll soon be wandering around looking for mysteries and cases. He will forget about them; she just knew it. After all, a child (especially someone so young) will forget distant memories gradually over time. Mitsuhiko is just three-years-old so it's very possible that this might happen to him.

She'll soon lose one of her best friends, her great conversation partner, her fellow science geek, and the smartest child she's ever met. He will leave her just like how her mother and father left her, and it kind of hurts a little.

She didn't mention any of this, however, and just continued smiling at them.

Haruka's smile suddenly brightened, "I know! Since Mitsuhiko-kun might leave soon, I say we make this day the most memorable one yet!"

Kagami grinned and agreed wholeheartedly, all the while shoving all those dark thoughts at the back of her mind, determined not to ruin this day for her two best friends.

Mitsuhiko looked at them both, and Kagami's chest vaguely tightened when she saw Mitsuhiko look very relieved that they took the news so well...

 **…**

He and Tsubaraya-sensei left the next day, with Mitsuhiko clutching two small bracelets – one with a silver clover charm dangling from it – tightly inside his trembling fists.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**...**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

 **...**

It was already evening, and he's _still_ in there.

Kagami stared worriedly at her brother's locked door, knowing for a fact that he hasn't left his room since he stormed into the house a couple of hours ago.

She sighed wearily; she had barely gotten a word out earlier before Kaito rushed past her to confine himself in his room. She had been left gaping in surprise behind him, which is understandable considering she had just seen him off to school an hour ago.

The momentary glimpse she saw of his face didn't seem like he was sad, so she immediately ruled out everything possibly tragic or heartbreaking that might've caused it. He mostly just looked frustrated. She fidgeted in her seat for a moment before glancing up again at the door. A worried Aoko had visited two hours ago to ask if Kaito was here (which also ruled out rejection as a cause). It was then that Kagami got the whole story. Apparently, her brother was fooling around in class again. While that isn't unusual at all, it was the fact that he suddenly left the school that worried Aoko. She said she doesn't have a clue what prompted him to do that, since their teasing never resulted in him walking out on her.

Feeling that maybe her brother needed some privacy, Kagami told Aoko as gently as she could to come back another time. Something made Kaito upset enough to cut classes, and Kagami was determined to find out what. She had already given him enough time to sort himself out, so he probably wouldn't mind the intrusion.

Mind made up, she quickly started towards his room, but to her surprise, the door suddenly slammed open – missing her by an inch – before a very familiar blur rushed out hurriedly; going to the kitchen for a bit before heading straight out the door.

"I'm going out Mi-chan!" Her brother, the identity of the blur, called over his shoulder, "I won't be long. Dinner's in the microwave!"

She barely managed to get a word out _again_ before her dear brother completely vanished out the door, leaving her wondering what the heck just happened.

She fumed for a bit, what could possibly be so _important_ that he had to run out on her for no reason two times in a row?

Kagami sighed and pouted, no use moping around for it. After all, Kaito doesn't have to tell her _everything_ going on in his life. It just bothers her a bit because even _Aoko_ doesn't know what's wrong. And he usually tells his childhood friend all the problems he doesn't want his sister to know.

Kagami absent-mindedly went to the kitchen and heated up her ' _dinner'_ – which turns out to only be a bowl of noodles – before heading to the living room to alleviate her boredom. She usually just spends time with Kaito at these hours; either doing their homework together, hanging out, or having lessons. Him not being here is very rare and so she doesn't really know what to do.

It was only later when she finally sat and watched television that she realized the reason for his odd behavior:

 _ **...**_

 _ **Breaking News: Kaitou KID Returns!**_

 _ **...**_

Kagami blinked twice in shock. When she realized that the words are still there, she gaped.

 _Did that just…?!_

She watched as Nakamori-keibu, who has clearly just been back to the field, suddenly came roaring at the microphone the reporter held out to him about what he plans on doing to the thief after he catches him, yelling about ' _how dare he show his face again after so many years gone… blah blah blah',_ the usual stuff. Though she's pretty sure the inspector just misses the thief.

"– _again, here is the notice sent by Kaitou KID earlier today."_

Kagami leaned forward at that and stared wide-eyed at the screen as the reporter proceeded to recite the contents of the notice.

"' _Today at 23:54, I will steal the gemstone known as the Eye of the Moon from Ono Bank!'"_

… _It's real alright._

Realizing this, Kagami left the television on while she raced up the stairs as quickly as she could, barging into Kaito's room until she was standing right in front of the large painting of their father in his full magician regalia. Completely ignoring the large portrait for the first time in her life, she quickly got a chair and stood on it to press the hidden switch near the top of the painting, causing it to swing open.

The moment she learned how to walk, she had started experimenting on this painting – both learning how to open it and exploring the secret room below – whenever her brother was away _just_ for this event. After failing to do anything to prevent her father's death, she had all but devoted herself into planning what she would do in the next major event: _Kaitou KID's return._ And now it's finally here.

However – and this was the most confusing part – to the best of her knowledge, Kaito was sixteen or seventeen when he became the KID.

' _If that was the case…_ ' Kagami thought frantically. ' _Then why did it happen approximately_ two years _early!?'_

She let herself fall down to the hidden room below, landing unharmed on the squashy armchair directly below. Though while Kaito had probably been shocked by their father's voice suddenly coming out from the speakers, the youngest Kuroba child paid absolutely no attention to it. Instead, she had immediately hurried up to the cabinets containing the KID's costume and slammed it open.

To no one's surprise, it was empty.

' _Why, Jii-chan?'_ Kagami formed her hands into fists. ' _Why do you choose_ now _of all times when you could've done this two years later? When Kaito is at the appropriate age?!'_

Everything is happening so fast. Kaito is just fourteen, he's not ready to be a thief!

Is Kaito ready for this? Will he even do the exact same things he originally did or will everything go completely off course? Either way, Kagami would never let anything happen to him. She _had_ to see if he's going to be all right.

With that thought in mind, her eyes quickly sought out another set of cabinets in the far corner of the room before stalking towards it. It was her favorite part of this room, specifically because the cabinets contained _all_ the necessary items for the KID's disguises.

She didn't know if she could pull this off even with the lessons she had received from Kaito about disguising (he's adamant she learn about that particular skill, especially since they never know when it might be useful. She immediately agreed, since it saved her the trouble of asking), but if she truly wanted to help her brother in the future then she has to try her skills out in the real world. And what better time than now?

Kagami took a deep, wavering breath before proceeding to put on the clothes she selected for this particular role.

" _The most important part of disguising,"_ Toichi had said. _"is do not…"_

"…wear anything that will make you stand out…" She continued with a whisper.

"… _from your surroundings."_ Her father finished in her mind's eye, before nodding in approval.

" _Now go."_

 **…**

If anyone had been watching the Kuroba residence, they would've seen an unknown child slip out of the house and into the dark streets. As it is, no one was the wiser.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

Kuroba Kaito gripped the bag containing the Kaitou KID's clothes tightly, his whole body tense and anxious at the realization that he was about to meet a master thief personally; perhaps even thwart him, if it comes to that.

Though he can't deny that he was excited as well. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Besides, he has long known that he – and most probably Kaitou KID himself – was a certified adrenaline-junkie. If nothing particularly thrilling happened in this meeting then he will be _sorely_ _disappointed_ at the thief.

However, someone doesn't seem to agree with his point of view. ' _You're so stupid, BAKAITO!'_ His inner voice – which sounds suspiciously like _Aoko_ of all people – yelled viciously.

He smacked a hand to his forehead in frustration before slowly dragging it down his face. He is _completely_ aware that his plan is stupid in every sense of the word. However, he also knew this is the only chance he ever has of confronting the thief. After all, who knows where the KID will plan to steal next? It's better to see him now when he is still close by than not at all.

Speaking of which, there's only a few more minutes until KID's arrival. Taking a deep breath, Kaito quickly dressed up in the thief's clothes; knowing that if he hesitates for _even a second_ then he will be too nervous to go through with it and all this will be for naught.

While doing so, Kaito quickly realizes one important thing: the clothes are a walking death trap. Almost every pocket contains things like smoke bombs, sleeping gas, and tasers, to name a few; that if caught will surely get him arrested.

He was half-afraid that he might get a smoke bomb dropped on his head when he puts on the top hat. Or even worse, set off one of the pellets of sleeping gas by just pulling up his pants, and that KID will find him passed out half-dressed in the roof. Thankfully though, that didn't happen.

Finished dressing up, Kaito stretched a bit to get a feel of the clothes. It was then that he realized another thing:

The outfit was too _big_.

Sleeves are too long; pant legs bunched up around his ankles; long cape pooling on the floor behind him; top hat too wide for his head… he has no doubt KID would notice the size difference, and it will make moving or running _very_ difficult to do, but there's not much he can do about it now.

 _60 seconds to go._

Beads of sweat slowly trickled down Kaito's forehead as he forced himself to tear his eyes off his watch. What would the thief do to him when they meet? He knows the KID never hurt anyone during his prime, but there is no telling if he changed his modus operandi after his five-year hiatus.

Deep down, Kaito knew he was no match for the thief. He only said that he could to Aoko earlier that day for his pride. For god's sake, he is only _fourteen years old_! He still has so much to learn!

 _30 seconds._

He hated how nervous he is. Here he was, confronted with the only lead he has of the fact that his father was actually a thief – something even his own mother refused to tell him anything about – and he's scared out of his mind. His poker face was stretched to the limit, even behind the white mask he wore. If it turns out that the KID was hostile, then he knew there's nothing he could do to defend himself. Magic tricks and gymnastics only does so much after all.

 _15 seconds._

If Kagami were here, she would have knocked some sense into him. Probably even convince him not to go completely. That was why he practically ran outside the house earlier, so that his more sensible sister wouldn't get a chance to talk him out of this. However, he's beginning to wonder if that was such a good idea…

 _3, 2, 1…_

Almost immediately, the lights went out. Kaito blinked in surprise as he was suddenly plunged into darkness; with the city lights and the moon the only other sources of light. His eyes quickly adjusted as he listened to the various noises and yells echoing throughout the building. It was obvious that the police are running around everywhere in search of Japan's very elusive phantom thief, with Nakamori-keibu most likely leading the charge.

That's not important right now though. If he wasn't mistaken, then KID would have gotten away by now. Knowing this, Kaito quickly tensed as he waited for the signature crash of the windows – the thief seemed to like breaking them since his hiatus – until there it was.

 _ ***CRASH!***_

 _ ***BANG!***_

' _A dummy!'_ Kaito realized when he saw the thief's body plummet to the ground like a rock and into a stationary police car below, scattering bits of glass and shocking the police _. 'So if he sent the dummy down there… then that means he's heading–!_

A grappling hook, and then Kaitou KID himself.

– _up here.'_ Kaito finished wryly.

He took a moment to observe the thief. Kaitou KID looked mysterious, certainly. The whole costume plus the white mask prevented anyone from knowing his true identity. However, he can't imagine it did well for his overall vision. He knows his own white mask is restricting _his_ vision.

KID is now nonchalantly tossing the Eye of the Moon up and down as if it was worth nothing. Kaito gawked a bit at the blatant display, not sure if the thief truly doesn't care about the value of the jewel or he has just seen enough of them to no longer affect him. Probably the latter.

If it were not for his intense scrutiny, he would have missed how Kaitou KID suddenly tensed, his shoulders imperceptibly stiffening. As it is, he saw it as clear as day.

 _It's time!_

Quickly batting away his nervousness and letting his strongest poker face take over, Kaito proceeded to call down to the thief while adding a touch of amusement and arrogance in his tone, "How _boring_. Using a dummy as a diversion and then climbing up here? That's an elementary trick. If that's all you can do, then you are not worthy of the title ' _Phantom Thief'!"_

The words came out strong and steady, and Kaito inwardly sighed in relief. Just showing the slightest hint of nervousness would be _damaging_ to the image he is trying to portray.

He watched as the thief tensed further before looking up at him. Kaito's eyes narrowed in concentration as he observed: feet poised to run; body as tense as a spring; fist closed firmly around the jewel… Kaitou KID was ready for an escape.

Unfortunately for him, Kaito just spent the last ten hours researching the hell out of him. He knows his moves inside and out. Plus, he's a magician too. He is confident that he'll know any trick the thief might pull.

"Who are you?" KID demanded. To Kaito's surprise, his voice sounded terribly gruff compared to the smooth, velvety tones of his voice that he heard in the recordings pre-hiatus.

 _Curious._

Smirking behind the mask and looking very much like a cat that ate a canary, Kaito drew himself up to his full, fourteen-year-old height, which is still undoubtedly very small. This is why he appeared to the thief from above, to hide the fact that Kaito is much smaller than he is. Though knowing the highly-observant thief, it seems too much to hope that he didn't notice that bit.

" _Intimidation is the key…"_ His father had said.

"… _and first impressions should last."_ He finished triumphantly in his mind.

"I have been waiting for you… _Kaitou KID_!"

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

Applying the disguise was the easy part; getting to the heist location was the complete opposite.

Getting off the taxi and stopping at the base of the building, Kagami panted heavily to get rid of the stitch in her side before quickly ducking down to creep past the police cars loitering about; intent on getting to the spot where she knew he'll land after his disappearing act.

She had thought long and hard about this, and she finally decided that Kaito must _not_ know that she knows. Everything depends on that decision.

She will not interfere with his decision to be Kaitou KID, she will merely be a spectator until the time comes when he'll need her help. The reason for this is that explaining how she knew will lead to her explaining about her reincarnation (as she doubts she can explain how she found out about their father's secret just moments after _he_ _did_.)

The second reason is that she knows he's not ready to find out about the truth. Maybe she'll tell him when he's older but right now, being a phantom thief and chasing after the Organization is all he needs to worry about.

Meanwhile, Kagami is content to remain in the sidelines; providing the aid her brother doesn't know and expect. Besides, she can't be the only one who is excited to see Kaitou KID in real life… right?

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

"J- _Jii-chan_?!" Kaito backpedaled in shock. The old man – who he vaguely remembered was a friend of his father – looked equally shocked. He hadn't seen him since _that_ incident five years ago, and now he suddenly turns up dressed as the KID?!

And as if it couldn't get any worse, had he just admitted that his father was _murdered_?

 _What the heck is going on?!_

"Kaito-bocchama!" Jii cried out in horror. "Why are you–?!"

" _He's on the rooftop! Call in the choppers, hurry!"_ Nakamori-keibu's angry voice echoed from inside the building, making them both tense.

 _No time!_ "Just answer this," Kaito clenched his trembling fists. Conflicting feelings – _all lies! Betrayal! Does his mother know?_ – warred inside him. "Is my father truly murdered?"

Jii-chan's stricken expression tells him all he needs to know.

" _KID!"_ The voices sound nearer.

Kaito gritted his teeth before quickly stepping in front of Jii-chan and extending his mantle to cover the old man from their sight. "Get out of here while I distract them, Jii-chan!"

"Kaito-bocchama…" Jii was still looking at him in shock, as if he still can't get over the fact that his dead master's son was wearing his dead master's thief costume. Kaito couldn't blame him though. If he saw his sister wearing this…

He almost shuddered at the thought.

"Use the escape I had planned." He gestured to the crane nearby, trusting that he'll know what to do. His eyes then narrowed seriously. "And head to my house _immediately_ after you lose them."

"B-But what about you, bocchama?" Jii asked nervously.

Kaito then turned to him, a toothy grin worthy of the KID decorating his face. "I'm not ' _bocchama'_ anymore." He saw Nakamori-keibu and his men burst through the rooftop doors, heading straight for any man they see wearing white.

Except he's no longer a bystander, but _the_ man wearing white. He laughed wickedly.

" _I am Kaitou KID!"_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

…

 **Chapter Seventeen**

…

Kaito dared a peek behind him before gritting his teeth in frustration and fear. It just confirmed what he already knew; the helicopters are getting near.

To his embarrassment, he felt scared to death. He was an open target in the air, he was dressed outrageously in all white, police are out after his head, and there is no escape in sight. Sooner or later, the helicopters will be close enough for the wind to get disrupted, causing his glider to crash. The police cars chasing him below makes it difficult to land, and there aren't any nearby buildings that can hide him either. In short, he's royally _screwed_.

Beads of sweat formed in his forehead amidst the cool night air, his eyes darting everywhere in a panic. He can't think of _anything_ that would save him from this mess, and it angered him because he was supposed to be Kaitou KID! And KID _always_ finds a way out.

 _What to do… what to do…_ His hands twitched towards his hidden pockets and he did a mental inventory of the items within. Smoke bombs won't work from high up here, especially with the strong wind. Neither would sleeping gas, tasers, card gun, rope, lockpicks…

" _Nothing…"_ Kaito whispered in defeat and his hands fell away from his pockets in defeat. He smiled bitterly to himself; perhaps this is the price he must pay for knowing the whole truth. Kuroba Toichi was a world-renowned phantom thief, and it wasn't an accident that caused his death all those years ago like he originally thought. He was _murdered_.

 **By whom?** is still a question, though he's confident that Jii could answer that. **Does his mother know?** is a question he's not entirely sure he wants to know.

Though he doesn't know why he's still fretting over that, he'll see his father soon enough. He can ask those questions to him personally. After all, Kaito will never allow himself to be caught and identified and possibly risk his mother's and Kagami's lives. If all it takes is to fall down to the ground and become an unrecognizable bloody mess so that he will no longer endanger his family, then so be it.

' _At least Jii got away safely,_ ' he reassured himself. The old man has spent longer in the business; he would surely know how to escape from the police. On the other hand, his mother will certainly get over it soon. She already lost a husband, so what difference is a wayward son?

 _Kagami_ is the unknown equation.

He thought back to the little girl he left at home. She's probably worried sick about him right now, since it's almost midnight. He smiled bitterly, she'll be all alone now. He's sure Nakamori-keibu and Aoko will take good care of her, but she will lose a brother. He wonders how she'll cope.

His grip loosened on the glider's handle; any minute now, the helicopters will be here.

 _It's now or never…_

But just as he was about to release himself from the glider's straps and let go, a red light suddenly flashed off his monocle, quickly catching his attention.

To his surprise, the light had not come from something random, but from a laser pointer in the possession of a small boy. He watched in confusion as the boy waved, pointed at him, and then mimed a landing before flashing the laser pointer at his monocle again, as if to prove a point.

"He wants me to land?" Kaito whispered to himself in disbelief. Skeptic, he tried to ignore him. To his surprise and slight irritation, the laser flashed again for the third time and he involuntarily looked at the boy again. With a jolt, Kaito found that he can't quite tear his gaze off the moment he met the boy's hard but extremely determined eyes.

The distance between them seemed to disappear at that moment, the noise of the helicopters chasing him slowly fading into the background.

F-For some reason… his gut feeling told him to _trust_ the kid.

"That's it. I'm officially going crazy." There's no doubting it, his sanity seems to have completely left him. Even he knew it was laughably stupid to trust a child to somehow get him out of this mess.

However, said mess has got him cornered beyond reason already, so what could possibly hurt from accepting a little help? _Literally_.

"Okay, here goes." He took a deep breath before quickly urging the glider to drift down, the child patiently waiting for his descent below. He could see the police cars heading towards the oblivious child's position while doing so, and he almost changed his mind. However, one quick look at the child's eyes strengthened his resolve.

 _My life is in your hands, kid. Get me out of here._

He jumped and switched off the glider the moment the ground was near, kneeling down to absorb the impact. However, he barely had time to open his mouth to talk to the child before he was already running off, waving at him to follow.

 _Well, he could certainly admire the kid's determination and promptness._

Questioning his sanity for the second time that day, Kaito followed the kid, confident he'll be able to get away the moment he tries anything funny, like lead him towards _more_ police.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

They have been running from the police for quite some time now. The good news is he could hear the sounds of the police cars fading away. Bad news is, he still doesn't know if he could trust the kid.

He also noticed that they kept sticking to the alleys and away from the busy streets, which is a _really_ good thing, in his opinion.

He inwardly snorted; after all, what would the people think when they saw the Kaitou KID himself running like the hounds of hell are right on his heels; his too long cape flapping like crazy behind him, whipping everyone's faces as he passed?

Even now, his too large clothes are causing him to stumble after the kid instead of running gracefully like he first imagined. His top hat also kept falling off his head, which prompted him to keep a hand on it at all times.

He made a mental note to get Jii to make him his own costume as soon as possible. After all, he sure as hell wouldn't want to go around performing as Kaitou KID with such ridiculously large clothes hindering him in every way.

Snorting silently at the mental image, he didn't notice that someone was readying himself to barrel towards him until it was too late. Kaito let out an involuntary cry of surprise as the kid suddenly rammed into his side, causing him to teeter dangerously off-balance.

He would have been able to steady himself too if not for those large clothes. Like a fool, he tripped himself on his too long pant legs before proceeding to collapse behind a loaded dumpster. In desperation, he quickly reached out a hand to catch himself, but missed and instead grazed himself on the sharp side of it.

He hissed when he felt a sharp stab of pain in his arm but had no time to inspect it before the kid rammed into him _yet again_ , causing him to fall further back, severely disorienting him. He growled in anger at the cheap move and made to stand up, but was cut off when the boy suddenly stood over him with the light from the streets on his back, annoyingly encasing his face with deep shadows that was too dark for him to observe.

Realizing this, Kaito just settled on snarling at him in frustration – all the while silently berating himself for not paying enough attention – but he quickly fell silent in surprise when the boy snarled right back.

" _Change to black."_ He snapped. Kaito noted distractedly that his voice was unnaturally low, rough, and tinged with urgency. _"And stay there!"_

Kaito blinked once at the extremely strange request before hurrying to obey.

 _He was starting to understand the plan…_

Kaito quickly changed into the spare clothes he brought with him – thanking his foresight for choosing black – though he kept the monocle and a black cap on with its brim low, casting a dark shadow on his face and thereby making him unrecognizable. He then made himself as small as possible and watched as the boy nodded in satisfaction before hurrying off to the mouth of the alley; hopefully to provide a distraction.

The boy had just barely made it to the mouth of the alley before a police car suddenly skidded to a halt right in front of him, its headlights casting a dim glow in the dark alleyway. Kaito quickly curled in on himself in an attempt to hide from the light just as the window of the car rolled down, an officer leaning on it to talk to the kid.

To his frustration, Kaito couldn't quite make out what they were saying because of how far they were, but he could just observe their body language. He watched as the boy nodded slowly at what the officer was saying and proceeded to point at a random direction almost indifferently, as if he really couldn't care less about the conversation.

He watched as they both exchanged pleasantries before the car finally drove away, leaving the kid to stare after them. That done, he then whirled around before stalking back towards his hiding place.

"They're gone." He told him unnecessarily and without preamble as he came to a stop in front of him, the light again casting shadows on his face. Kaito was just starting to think he was doing it on purpose before he spoke again, "Next time, _please_ make sure you have an escape route in mind, KID-san."

Eyebrows raised, Kaito watched as the boy stared at him almost curiously and said with a small voice…

"You know, you look different than what I expected."

"Do I?" He asked curiously, barely remembering to change his own voice a little.

"You do." The kid stated matter-of-factly, before falling silent. KID quirked an eyebrow, his gut was practically roaring at him now about something... "Where are your parents, boy?"

"Home." He answered dismissively. He cocked his head to the side, "That's a pretty cool trick earlier KID-san, you aren't hurt?"

"I never get hurt." He assured him, discreetly hiding his wounded arm from his view as he did so. He then stood and dusted himself off (lying behind a dumpster is definitely not one of his favorite past times), but to his surprise, the boy abruptly turned and began walking away.

"Hey wait!" He called in surprise, mouth slightly gaping at the kid's disinterest. Most people would _die_ for the chance of being in Kaitou KID's presence, and here is a little kid not even caring in the slightest that he has one of Japan's most renowned thief in his grasp. "Where are you going?"

"Home." The strange kid said again, not even bothering to stop. "I'm out late enough as it is."

 _Makes sense_ , Kaito grimaced. The kid's parents must be worried. He just hoped the boy has enough sense not to begin telling everyone that he single-handedly saved the infamous Kaitou KID from a lifetime of prison.

Then again, nobody's gonna believe him if he tried. Thank god for small mercies.

"What's your name?" He asked instead. The tone came out a bit demanding, and he cringed internally. The boy paused as well.

… "None of your business." The boy said before walking away again, causing Kaito to huff in disappointment. Isn't it natural to know the identity of his 'savior'? (Meanwhile, he desperately tried to ignore how his savior is actually just a little kid.)

"Wait, stop!" He called again, vaguely feeling that he needed to continue talking to the kid. Besides, he still got a strange niggling feeling at the back of his mind, like something's _off_. He tried brushing it off; it will come to him soon enough.

To his surprise, the kid _did_ stop, before turning halfway. A bright brown eye stared back at him curiously as Kaito continued wracking his brain for anything to say. He then brightened as he thought of the perfect thing, "You saved me, and I am in your debt. One favor, as long as it's within my power. If you need to call it in, flash me with your laser pointer like you did earlier. I'll come to you."

He got the pleasure of seeing the kid's eye widen in surprise at his declaration. It might be risky telling him that, but after successfully saving the KID on his first night on the job (though he doesn't really know _that_ ) he more than deserves it.

He smiled brilliantly when the kid nodded, though he looked slightly dazed. Perhaps a criminal owing him a favor is probably a bit too much for him to handle. He nodded in satisfaction before straightening. "I apologize for cutting this short, but I'm afraid I must be off now." _Oh god, Kagami is going to_ kill _him!_ "Go home little boy, or your parents will worry."

Without waiting for a reply, Kaitou KID quickly dropped a smoke bomb before disappearing into the night, leaving the boy all alone in the dark alley.

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

Kagami waited until she was sure he was truly gone before collapsing against the wall shakily, bringing a hand up to wearily drag it down her sweaty face. She was highly tempted to remove the itchy wig but scared to do so in case he's still here. After all, she doesn't want all her acting to go to waste just because of something so trivial.

Acting so much in such a long period of time drained her; she doesn't know how Kaito does it whenever he goes out in disguise for a heist. There is nothing exciting about this as she first thought. It just made her feel like a jerk for lying to her brother, and the constant acting and worry of being found out exhausted her to the point that she'll gladly sleep for a week.

It kind of amazed her that her brother didn't suspect for a moment who she is. (Though perhaps he actually did and was waiting in their house at this very moment to catch her in the act) The short black hair, brown eyes, and rugged clothes probably set her apart completely from the brown-haired, indigo-eyed, levelheaded Kuroba Kagami he had known his whole life. That probably created a sort of _protection_ Kagami was glad she had.

Besides, she made sure she always had her back against the light, so that shadows would cast over and cover her face. It certainly helped to make her unrecognizable.

Her thoughts then fell on the events that resulted to all of this exhaustion. _He was almost caught._ Kagami clenched her fists in frustration. He was lucky she was there, or she'll be seeing him in jail the next time around, and how will she explain _that_ to their mother?

It was certainly fortunate she realized it was not him that descended from the building earlier like she initially thought…

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

 _Earlier that night…_

Kagami watched anxiously as the helicopters started approaching fast from the direction of the police headquarters, and there's still no sign of anyone escaping from the rooftop. In spite of herself, she wondered if Kaito would be able to think up a plan to escape this time. Does he have enough experience in his belt to think up new ideas or did she completely botch that up too?

Turns out, Kagami needn't have worried.

She watched as a cloud of smoke suddenly appeared at the edge of the building's roof, confusing the police above. However, what they didn't notice but she could clearly see from below is KID descending from the roof using a rope from a crane. Kagami smiled proudly, Kaito will be brilliant no matter what age he is.

 _Except… that's not him, isn't it?_ Kagami stared in shock as someone she knew for a fact was not her brother landed lightly in front of her. However, while he _is_ wearing KID's clothes, there's just something terribly _off_ about him.

 _It's Jii-chan_. She realized. She watched as the old man turned to look around him hastily and, finding no one, began running away from the building. He was incredibly fast for someone his age, she absently thought.

However, that begs the question: _where's her brother?!_

"…split into two? Can you please repeat that?"

Kagami frowned as she heard a disbelieving yell coming from the police nearby. She hurriedly approached two officers who are staring in incredulity at their radios.

 _-"Affirmative. KID split into two right in front of our eyes and escaped to the opposite sides of the building. Choppers are chasing one who was flying with a hang glider while another disappeared near your location. Search the area."-_ Someone reported over the radio while the two officers immediately scanned the area around them.

"Copy that!"

Kagami quickly ducked down to avoid getting spotted; all the while, her mind was rapidly whirling to process that piece of information.

Somehow, Kaito got it into his head to do a whole new kind of escape altogether. She didn't know the reason, but it was clear that Jii used the one that was meant for him, while Kaito just used the hang glider.

Something roaring above made her look up, and she watched as a group of helicopters suddenly flew by. Remembering what the police said about _'choppers chasing after the KID using the hang glider'_ , Kagami immediately took off in a run, desperately hoping that she was not too late.

…

Kaito was _really_ lucky. It terrified her that everything could have ended drastically if she wasn't present. She didn't want to lose a brother so soon! Currently, she was thanking every deity she could think of for allowing her to save her brother in time.

Though the favor her brother offered in return for helping him was definitely an unexpected albeit welcome action. It surprised her, because he never offered one to Conan in the series (although that's probably because he treated Conan as a rival while she just saved him without any catch.) _That_ will certainly be useful in the future.

' _Now…'_ she slowly pushed herself off the wall and stared at the full moon above with a tired look. Her stomach then chose that moment to growl, making her chuckle. ' _How to get back home before he does and finally cook the damn noodles…'_

 **.**

 **~oOo~**

 **.**

"I'm home." Kaito called wearily, patting himself for anything he missed at the last minute. It would be _bad_ if Kagami were to be suspicious…

"Welcome back onii-chan." His sister called back from the table where a half-eaten bowl of noodles sat. "Where did you go?"

Kaito froze in spite of himself – though he _should've_ expected this line of questioning – he stared nervously at his sister who was patiently waiting for an answer. Can he lie to her?

 _The truth or the lie?_

"Onii-chan?" Kagami frowned.

 _Can she even handle the truth?_

"…"

 _Isn't she too young to know how their father died and about his 'other' nighttime activity?_

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, just tired." He smiled reassuringly, though Kagami doesn't look convinced at all. His sister has always been sharp. It doesn't help that he's a horrible liar when it comes to her. "I just came back to school to get something I left. I was in such a hurry earlier that I totally forgot." He laughed sheepishly and showed her the cards he had flung to the blackboard earlier that day. He made a detour before coming home just for this excuse.

"Oh. Okay." She blinked in astonishment before smiling warmly, "Come on onii-chan, let's eat."

"Sure!" After the night's events, he's _starving_!

He collapsed on the chair wearily while Kagami prepared another bowl of noodles for him. He'll probably be out like a light the moment his head touched a pillow for how _exhausted_ he was.

Though there's still the matter of Jii. He already informed him to reschedule their meeting tomorrow. He also planned to introduce Jii and Kagami again after five long years. But what should he say to him? What secrets will he reveal next?

 _Do I really want to know…?_

"Onii-chan! What happened to your arm?!"

Kaito blinked in surprise before glancing at said arm, which was indeed swollen and a bit bloody. He faintly recalled grazing his arm against the side of the dumpster when the boy pushed him. To be honest, he had forgotten about it.

"This? I must've scratched it when I tried climbing to our classroom. You know the doors and gates are locked at this time." He told her, internally cringing at how horrible that lie was. He made a mental note to teach himself to start lying to her, no matter how hard it was to do so. It frankly made him guilty just by thinking about it.

"Let me see." Kagami ordered before proceeding to take his arm and putting pressure on it. Kaito watched her fondly as she began treating it, leading him to the sink to clean the wound with warm water and mild soap before proceeding to apply antibiotic on it. She then finished it off by wrapping it up in clean bandages she got from their first aid kit. To be honest, it doesn't surprise him one bit that she learned (or probably taught herself) to do first aid. She's practical like that.

With the wrapping done, his sister then looked up at him worriedly. "Next time, please be careful, nii-chan."

…" _Next time, please make sure you have an escape route in mind, KID-san."…_

Kaito blinked, the image of the rough-looking little boy suddenly appearing in his mind's eye before disappearing just as quickly. _What was that?_

"Promise me?"

Kaito jolted back to reality to see his sister looking so concerned. He flashed her a quick reassuring smile. "I will."

She clearly meant something else, but Kaito was thinking more about his upcoming heists instead.

He slowly pulled her to him for a hug, his guilt making his arms around her tighten. "Thanks Mi-chan." _And please forgive me._

Kagami nuzzled her head to his chest and responded in kind, "You're welcome, nii-chan."


End file.
